Red Hood
by StormBlue
Summary: Anna's life changes when Alexander shows up, and she runs. She runs away from him and away from what he did to her, giving up all hope for everything she ever wanted in life. When she stumbles upon Cullen and Quileute territory, she must learn to face her fears and accept the help of some friends she meets along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Twilight world, characters, or anything. Stephanie Meyer does. I only own Anna and Alexander. **

A soft humming filled the quiet street as the source, a teenage girl, slipped the key into the slot of a shop, closing down for the night. The streetlights lit, illuminating the growing darkness as she turned and, still humming, walked away, headed for home. It was getting late so she turned to take a shortcut through a deserted alley.

He smiled from the shadows. This was exactly what he had been hoping for.

She gasped as a figure dropped down in front of her, his powerful form, only half seen in the shadows, moving gracefully towards her, like a tiger stalking it's prey.

"Hello, Anna." He said, and she backed away from him, feeling a sense of danger.

"Who are you?" She asked. "How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you for quite some time. My name is Alexander...and I want you to spend eternity with me."

She could now see that his eyes were a deep red color, locking her in his unblinking gaze, and Anna didn't hesitate any longer. She turned to run, but before she could even scream, he had her, and she felt something biting into her arm. But that was only the beginning of the pain. It wasn't long before her body was on fire, her insides burning.

She screamed and writhed, and barely registered Alexander picking her up and moving at impossible speeds. The pain continued or what felt like hours, and Anna didn't think she could bear it anymore.

Finally, all she felt was numb, and she laid, gasping, listening to her heartbeat as it slowed. She felt like she was slipping away, like she was about to start drifting in an eternal sleep.

"No..." said Alexander, but it was a muted whisper, and it didn't mean anything to Anna. They had stopped moving and she was laid on a carpet of leaves. The stinging started in her arm again, but like everything else, it was slipping away.

She was vaguely aware of the feeling of something getting sucked out of her arm. It was like she was sinking into unconsciousness, but something held her back. Everything was silent except for the occasional thrum of her heart.

The pain stopped, as did the sense of slipping away. Her feeling returned, and everything slowly came into vivid focus. Anna opened her eyes and saw the forest in clear detail. Then her eyes met Alexander's, and she jerked to her feet and scrambled away from him, the speed of which she did amazing her.

She ignored everything around her, focusing only on him. Fear stabbed at her. She didn't know what happened to her or where she was, all Anna knew was that this man did something to her. And that this man was not human. She stood there, frozen, waiting for him to make a move, but not even his dark brown hair waved in the breeze. Alexander watched her, and then an expression of shock crossed his face.

"Impossible..." he breathed, and he took a step closer to Anna.

Her instincts kicked in, and she hissed at him, disappearing in the blink of an eye. She sprinted away from Alexander, running as fast as she could.

As she ran, she listened to her hearts slow, soft beat.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. More things will be revealed in the next chapter, such as when this occurs. I have quite a bit of the story already written, and if you review then it lets me know how you like it, plus might give me more incentive to update sooner. I won't complain about any criticism either :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
**

She was running, running away from everything. Alexander had been chasing her, intent on catching her, and there was never a stop to how long he could run. And so Anna ran. She only stopped to rest for as long as she dared, breaking in houses and stores to steal the food she needed to keep her going.

Whenever she came closer to humans, a burning thirst came in her throat, and she craved the warm blood pulsing through their bodies. This only scared her more, and so she ran more.

Anna didn't know how much longer she could keep running. Alexander had been chasing her for a week. And she still didn't know what he'd done to her, or what he was. It had crossed her mind to stop running and give in, let him take her. Maybe he could answer her questions, but every time she caught his scent, or heard him moving miles away, the fear drove her to keep going.

There hadn't been time for thinking about what she'd become. No time to collapse in tears. He was going to catch her if she did. Her only comfort was that, whatever he had turned her into, her heart still continued to beat, if slower and weaker than before.

Her nose caught a scent in the wind. Anna stopped in her tracks. This scent was not familiar, and it didn't belong to Alexander. It was more...animalistic. Then she listened. There were sounds in the forest. Something was running. No...whatever it was, there were a lot of them. They weren't like Alexander, these sounded much larger. And they were coming for her.

Anna turned and ran some more, but she'd already been running for a long time, and fatigue was leaking into her limbs. She pushed her incredible speed further, and still the things got closer. She didn't know what they were, but she got the message. She was in _their _territory, and she was a threat.

There were two of them on her trail now, and it was only a matter of time unless she thought of something fast. There was a river coming up ahead. Maybe that would give them pause if she could cross it. It had better come fast, because they were gaining on her.

Anna could see it ahead, and she had her doubts. Would she be fast enough? Could she jump across it? The river came closer, as did the beasts behind her. She didn't have any time to do anything else, and so she jumped. Her enhanced muscles carried her over the water until she slammed into the rocks on the other side, almost slipping and falling, but managing to catch herself.

She turned to see if it worked, and on the other side of the water, two gigantic wolves slowed to a stop, glaring and growling at her. The fear that had been her constant companion nudged her again as she looked at the monsters. What were they? Why didn't they follow her? Anna saw something in their eyes, and body language. They weren't acting like they'd just lost their prey. They were looking like that had it cornered, and were simply waiting. That was when she heard it.

More crashing through the forest, more footsteps. There were more of them that were already on her side of the river. Anna was exhausted, but there was no option other than to keep running. She turned from the river and ran deeper into the woods, the others chasing her coming dangerously close. There were two behind her, and she could see them if she glanced behind her shoulder, and so she ran faster.

She was running out of options, and she didn't know how far their territory went. Even if she was able to elude the wolves until then, her strength, however enhanced it was, wasn't going to keep until then. She formed a plan to give her more time.

Anna waited until the wolves were right behind her, closing in on her, just a few more strides and they'd have her. She turned slightly and jumped up the trunk of a tree, running up a few steps, before flipping over their heads.

It took the wolves barely a moment to recover, but that was all she needed, and she was off in the other direction. She was desperately looking for a way out. She could climb the trees, but then she'd be stuck, but if that's what she had to do to not get ripped to shreds, it might be her only option left. Already the wolves were catching up again, and others were closing in. How many were there?

Something else caught her attention. There was another scent, other than that of the wolves'. Something sweet...Alexander. This fueled her even further. She had to get away. The wolves started to fall behind, not because they were wearing out, but because she had found it within herself to excel her speed limits. Not before long, she caught sight of other figures blurring through the woods. These weren't wolves, and neither was it Alexander, but whatever Alexander was, there were others. And those others were after her as well.

Anna saw the land drop ahead, a vertical cliff, and she turned to it as her final alternative. Her fuel was dwindling, and the fear returned, stronger than ever. She was afraid what would happen if they caught her. She was afraid what would happen if they didn't. She was afraid about continuing to run, and afraid to stop. She was afraid that her legs would collapse before she reached the cliff, and afraid of what would happen if she jumped...

Emptiness opened up at her feet and she didn't hesitate. She didn't know how far the fall was, and she didn't know if she would survive, but she jumped anyway.

Anna, with her enhanced senses, noticed everything. She felt the air rushing past her, could even feel the slight lick of wind coming from the west. She could see the roof of the forest beneath her, and the ground rushing up to her.

Caught in a panic, she reached out and felt the rocks sliding by her, and she grabbed at them. They tore at her arms, but her skin was thicker now, and she had a much faster healing rate. Rocks slid out as she tried to grasp them, and finally her momentum slowed.

Pausing for only a second once she hit the bottom, she continued running. She knew that the human-looking ones might be able to follow. The ones like Alexander, and also like...no. She refused to think of herself as anything like Alexander. He was a monster.

Anna had no idea where she was going, but she didn't need to. She'd had no idea where she was going all week, just kept running, caught in fear, hoping they wouldn't catch her. She fell, hitting the ground hard. She tried to get up to keep running. She had to. If she didn't, they would find her, they would...

But she couldn't. She'd been running for too long, and she couldn't go any further. She laid there, filled with fear, afraid to fall asleep, afraid to stay awake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does. **

This was the first vampire to show it's face around Forks in months. After what happened with the Volturi six years ago, every vampire knew not to mess around with the Cullens. Every vampire knew about the werewolves of La Push. And yet here was another who was going right through their territory. There was just something unusual about all of this.

_Cheer up, Jake! It's been awhile since we've had some action around here! _Of course, that was Quil, and his annoyingly happy demeanor.

_I never said I was worried,_ Jake replied in the telepathic pack communication. _It's just odd, is all._

Jake had gotten a glimpse of the vampire while he had been chasing her, and he thought of the image as he turned to Edward.

_Recognize her?_ He asked mentally, knowing Edward would be able to hear him.

"No." Edward said. "Whoever she is, she isn't a known friend."

_Could she have not known this was our territory? _Seth asked. The pack communication meant that every member while in wolf form was able to not only read each others thoughts, but see through their eyes, so everyone was able to hear Jake's conversation with Edward on the cliff, and Edward, being a mind reader, was linked to the others as well through Jake. He once described the pack mind as being the most interesting he's come across.

"Not likely," Edward replied to Seth's question. "We've attracted quite some fame after our confrontation with the Volturi."

Jake growled at the memory. They had wanted to kill Nessie. _His _Nessie. The woman he'd do anything for, and she had just been a girl back then. That had brought not only the two packs closer, but also the Cullens and the wolves were on friendlier terms.

Some members of the pack had left since then, but others were still around, even if they'd given up being werewolves. As the years had passed and one wolf after another left, Jake had brought the two packs into one again. The number of wolves, which had once been at an all-time high of seventeen, was now down to five.

Jake felt Quil's twinge of sorrow, and his own, as they remembered their friend Embry. He said that he'd had a good time with the whole werewolf thing, but he didn't want it to last. With that, he left La Push with his imprint. Even if he kept in touch, it was different without him.

_You've still got us,_ another voice said, this one belonging Joanna. She'd been one of the ones to phase when the Cullens had asked for help from other covens, and the increased vampire activity resulted in increased werewolf activity as well, making the biggest packs in Quileute history. Both Jake and Sam had been happy that there were two separate packs by then.

_Keep looking, _Jake reminded them. _She might be passing through, but she also could be after something. _

_I don't know, Jake, _Seth said, doubt in his voice. _When Ben was chasing her, it looked like she was already running from something._

Ben mentally agreed with Seth, playing the chase through his head. Jake considered this. Ben and Joanna had first found the vampire and chased her closer to the Cullens' so that they would know if she was a friend or a foe, and they stayed at the river in case she tried to cross again. However, this new vampire made it hard for them to figure out her motives.

_Whatever her purpose is for coming here, we have to find her first. Keep a sharp eye out for others though. _Jake concluded, and heard a chorus of agreements. More silently, he added, _what could she have been running from? _This question only Edward heard.

"I don't know," he said. "There isn't much that a vampire runs from."

Edward fell silent, so Jake focused instead on what his pack-mates were doing. Ben and Joanna were patrolling the territory, reporting that there was no sign that the newcomer had left, or that others were coming. Quil was wandering the forest below, as was Seth, looking for the vampire. Their paths crossed Jasper and Emmett's as they searched for the intruder as well. Jake and Edward were still at the top of the cliff the vampire had jumped off.

_I have something! _Seth shouted, and Jake perked up, noticing it as well through Seth's senses. It was her scent, fresh, but strangely faint.

_Follow it, _Jake ordered. _We'll be there in a minute._ Seth acknowledged, and Jake looked at Edward before turning and running to find where the cliff was small enough for the wolves to get down.

Seth followed the scent. It was sweet, but not overpowering like all other vampires. Yet another thing added to the mystery of the newcomer. He followed it further away from the cliff-face and it steadily got stronger. Then he saw her.

She was laying face-down on the ground, her long, sleek ebony hair splayed about her. Seth was uneasy, and Jake was suspicious.

_Don't go any closer_, he ordered. _It's a trap._

Seth understood what he was talking about. Vampires don't sleep. They didn't need to rest. They only needed to feed.

Quil read his thoughts, and came up with an idea. _Do you think she needs to feed? Maybe she's just starving,_ he suggested.

_Another reason to stay away. If she needs to feed, werewolf is as edible as the next thing. _

Seth crouched, watching her and staying in the shadows. There wasn't anything to suggest that she was conscious, but then again, vampires were strange creatures. Aside from never sleeping, they didn't even feel the need to sit down. They only did it out of habit.

Waiting for the others to arrive, his eyes not moving from her comatose form, he listened. He listened to the bats and to all the other nocturnal creatures of the night. He listened through the other wolves' ears to them running through the forest, even heard with his own ears the thumping of their steps.

Wait...that thumping wasn't coming from the others. Seth's ears perked forward and he listened intently, and he heard it again. It was coming from...her. But there was no way that could be. Not unless...

Jake was thinking the same thing. Renesmee, the one Jake imprinted on, was half-vampire, half-human. She had vampiric strengths, but she also had a heartbeat. Seth moved closer, and while he was conscious of Jake being wary in his head, Jake didn't object.

He walked around to her face, half-covered by her hair. She still was awake, but only barely, and she looked at him, hardly seeing him, before she finally fell unconscious. Seth stopped in his tracks.

Barely a glimpse, but that's all that was needed. One glimpse, and she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Seth felt like there was nothing he wouldn't do for her, like she was the dawn after a long and endless night, a drink of water after a long period of thirst.

His packmates felt what he felt as he felt it, and they knew what was going on.

_It's about time!_ Quil yelled excitedly. _I wondered when you were going to find her! _

Jake, while it's not that he was unhappy Seth finally imprinted on someone, an unspoken question ran through his head that Seth could see. Why her? Who is she?

After Seth recovered from his moment of being overwhelmed, he examined her. _She's unconscious, and it looks like she needs help, _he said through the pack link. Jake immediately thought of Carlisle, but Ben interrupted his thought.

_Their place is too far away. We should take her to La Push, where she can rest and recover from what she's been through. He can come there and check on her._

Jake considered, then agreed, as did Seth.

_Okay. I'm phasing, and I'll take her to Sam and Emily's. _Seth said, preparing to phase back to human.

_Wait,_ Joanna said, and he hesitated. _Don't take her there. Take her somewhere quiet. Sam and Emily have kids, which won't be good for recovery. _Plus, she could hurt them.

That last bit went unspoken, but it was in everyone's minds. Seth growled at the thought of them thinking she would hurt anybody, but then logic kicked in. They didn't know anything about her.

_Where then? _He asked.

_Take her to my place, _Jake said. _It's not as far away as the Cullens', and Nessie will be able to take care of her. I'll go and tell them what's going on._

Seth nodded, even if they couldn't see him, and phased, pulling on his pants that he'd tied around his leg. He gently rolled the girl over and picked her up, her black hair falling from her face, revealing small, fragile features.

She must have been through something, because her clothes were beat up and dirt was smudged all over her, but her skin was pale and flawless, part of the vampire in her. Seth noticed something on her arm as he walked, and looked at it closer. There were two marks, slight discolorations of her skin, each was a half circle, positioned slightly apart from each other. Kind of like...a bite mark.

She'd been bitten by another vampire. It was a slight mark, and had healed, but it was still there, meaning...what did it mean? That she had been changed into a vampire, instead of born? But that wasn't possible. If that was the case, she'd be fully vampire, not half.

Seth shook his head. She'd be able to tell them once she had rested. Until then, he would protect her. He would protect her for the rest of his life, from anyone that dared to try and harm her.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you everyone who viewed, enjoyed, and followed. Over 100 views, but no reviews yet? Feedback is important to authors, even negative feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.  
**

Anna slowly climbed out of the well of darkness. She was sore. Her entire body ached dully, and yet she felt better than she had in what felt like forever. She was laying down...how long had she been asleep? Suddenly, one thought overpowered all the others. Alexander! He was going to get her!

She abruptly sat up, eyes flinging open. She was in a nicely furnished room, in a soft-cushioned bed. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was she was being chased, by more than just Alexander. They were all around her! They were going to catch her!

Anna realized that there was someone else in the room, and she panicked, moving as quickly as she could out of the bed and as far away from the person she could get, sinking into the corner. Her eyes darted here and there, looking for an escape.

The girl who was in the room was startled by Anna sudden wakefulness and stood, slowly. She was mature, looking maybe just a little older than Anna herself, and her hair fell in bronze ringlets down her back, and she had deep chocolate eyes that looked warm and friendly.

"Hello," the girl spoke softly and slowly, as if trying not to further scare Anna. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." The girl started moving towards Anna, but stopped as Anna panicked again. Instead she stayed where she was and continued talking.

"My name is Renesmee. You can call me Nessie though. Everyone else does. My friends found you in the forest, and brought you here. This is my house. Don't worry, no one can find you here. My friends and family will be able to protect you. My grandpa is a doctor. He'll be able to help you if you're hurt. And my uncle Jasper can help if you get scared. You don't have anything to be afraid of from them. They've helped a lot of people."

Nessie kept on talking, calming Anna with the sound of her bell-like voice, if not with her words. It was working, as Anna had relaxed some, but still hadn't said a word. Nessie hesitated before asking a question. "Can I come closer?"

Anna wanted to say no. She wanted to scream. She wanted to get out, to keep running away and never have to face what had been done to her. But most of all, she wanted to not be afraid. She slowly nodded, and Renesmee walked over to her slowly, crouching in front of her.

"You don't have anything to be afraid of." Nessie said, and held her hand out to Anna. Anna hesitated, and then reached out for it, and Nessie moved her hand to Anna's face, resting it on her left cheek.

Anna suddenly got images and memories playing through her head. They were Renesmee's memories. She was showing Anna her family. There were many of them. Her mother had dark hair, and used to read to her. Her father protective and used to teach her how to play the piano. There was a warm man with dark hair and tanned skin who was her recent husband. A group of people that were her friends that looked similar to him. Her grandparents, aunts and uncles. Nessie showed Anna how nice they had been to her her whole life. But she also showed Anna what they were. They were all pale and cold, with the same glimmering golden eyes.

Anna now had a name for Alexander. She had a name for the monster that had been chasing her. Vampire. Fear caught her again.

A look of shock crossed Nessie's face, and she fell back. She felt the fear. She felt the agony that coursed through this girl's body that night a week ago, and she felt the fear that drove her so far, and the exhaustion. She opened her eyes and looked at the girl.

"It's okay," she crooned, grabbing the girl's hand and clutching it in her own. "You don't have to be afraid anymore, you don't have to run. We will protect you here. We will help you."

There was a look in Anna's strange-colored eyes. She was afraid, but she was clinging onto Nessie's every word. In her was a look of trust, and she nodded slightly. Renesmee smiled.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Anna."

It was barely a whisper, but Nessie breathed a sigh of relief. She had gotten Anna to calm down, and after feeling the intensity of her fear, she was surprised she had gotten anywhere at all.

Nessie stood up, and helped Anna slowly get to her feet, looking at her. Her long black hair was so pretty, and her eyes intensified her beauty.

"My family will be coming soon. They want to see you, and help you, but you need to let them."

Anna hesitated, and Nessie could tell that she wanted this. She wanted it so badly, but she was afraid to hope. She nodded.

"Are you hungry? Do you need blood, or can you eat waffles?" Nessie asked, and Anna was taken aback. She fervently shook her head.

"I've never had blood." She replied.

Nessie didn't know what to make of this, but she didn't want to overwhelm Anna, and she shrugged it off. "I'll bet you want to wash up. There's a bathroom behind that door, so make yourself at home. I'll get you some clean clothes and fix your breakfast."

Anna nodded. After Nessie had been calm and reassuring, she was now excited. After a week of no contact of any kind with anyone, this was a little much for her. Nessie left Anna to herself, and she looked to the bathroom, realizing she must have been filthy, and she took a shower, revelling in the feel of the hot water running over her.

As she got out and got dressed in the clothes that had been laid down on her bed, and brushed her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror. She gasped at her reflection, something she hadn't seen in a long time. Her hair was the same as before, maybe thicker and more luxurious, and her skin was much more flawless than it had been, and pale, coming in contrast with her dark hair. But it was her eyes that startled her the most. Where before they had been blue, they were now a stunning violet color.

After looking at her eyes for a moment, Anna had to admit that she looked pretty, especially in the red blouse Nessie loaned her. Not that she cared that much about how she looked in her old life.

She reentered the bedroom just as Nessie came through the door, carrying a tray with warm waffles with butter and syrup drizzled over them, and a glass of juice. She set them down on the nightstand for her.

"Thank you." Anna didn't know what to say, other than that.

"Glad to help." Nessie replied.

Anna sat down on the bed and started eating, not realizing how hungry she was until she started. Renesmee told her more about her family, about what they did, what they were like, special gifts that some of them had. Anna had just finished when she heard a door open elsewhere in the house, and heard voices. She stood up and backed away, looking fearfully at her own closed door, but Nessie quickly soothed her.

"It's okay. They're here to help." She said. "It's only a few now. I thought it would be best for you if we avoided crowds for the time being."

Anna nodded, and let Nessie lead her through the small house to the main living area, where four men all looked at her as she entered. Three of them she remembered from what Nessie showed her. One she recognized as Nessie's father, and she remembered Nessie telling her that he could read minds. Another was her grandfather, who Nessie thought of as the nicest person in the world. Anna had a hard time seeing past his paleness and gold eyes however.

Another was her husband. She remembered him being warm from the memories, but he looked stern right now, like something was on his mind. The last looked similar to Jake, with black cropped hair and russet skin. He was smiling at her, and both his smile and his eyes comforted her. She didn't know why, but Anna liked him.

"Anna, this is my grandpa Carlisle, my daddy Edward, my husband" she blushed calling him that, like it was still new to her "Jacob, and his good friend, Seth." She gestured to the last one.

"Hello, Anna." Carlisle said, stepping up. Anna fought the urge to shrink away from him. "We're here to help you in any way that we can, but in order to do that, you'll need to tell us everything that's happened. Where you're from, what you've done, and who's after you."

Anna let his words sink in. How did they know someone was chasing her? Was he coming for her? Was he close? She fought another panic attack.

"Other than you, no one has crossed our border in several months." Edward said, and she was able to calm her breathing down again. Nessie led her to the couch and she sank down. Nessie sat down on her right side, still holding her hand for comfort, and Carlisle sat down on her other side. The other three stayed where they were, Seth looking at Anna in concern.

Carlisle pulled her gaze towards his. "Can you tell us what happened?" He asked gently, and she caught a glimpse of his nurturing nature for herself. Anna swallowed and nodded, trying to find her voice.

"His...his name is Alexander. It was getting dark, and I was going home from work. The street was empty, and suddenly...he was in front of me." She fought for control of herself as the memories welled up. "He said...that he'd been watching me...and that he wanted me. I...I tried to run, but he had me, and...and..." She couldn't talk any more. Anna closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She felt Carlisle's cold hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Anna. You don't have to say any more." He looked for words, and Nessie came to the rescue.

"I know this is hard for you, Anna, but if you could think about it, go through everything that happened as well as you can remember, then we can find out who and why. Then we'll be able to help you." She squeezed Anna's hand.

Anna opened her eyes again and met Seth's. Somehow, looking at him gave her comfort. Something about him gave her strength.

Seth saw that he was helping, and it made him happy. He just wished he could do more.

Anna sighed, and nodded, then closed her eyes again. She could remember everything from that night. Even all the little details she didn't usually pay attention to.

Her boss, getting ready to leave and asking her to lock up. The sky, and how the stars were hidden behind the cover of clouds. The song she hummed as she went home to her parents, to her brother...and suddenly he was there. Slinking in the shadows, closer to her. What he had said to her.

Edward saw the memories as they passed through her head. "He wanted her. He wanted her to be his mate..." he paused every now and then, letting the memories continue. "He tried to turn her. It was working, but..." his brows furrowed together as he concentrated. "Then it started killing her before the change was complete. He saved her life by sucking the venom out, but the change wasn't completed."

Anna shuddered as she went through her memories, and didn't want to keep going, but forced herself to keep going.

"She gained her strength quickly and ran away from him. She's been running for days. He's followed her all the way from Oregon." Edward finished, but Anna wasn't able to stop her memories from flooding her sight. She couldn't stop the fear from coming back as she remembered the previous night, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop them. Trying to stop them from chasing her.

Edward saw everything in her mind, and it overwhelmed him. He'd felt strong emotions in the century he'd been a vampire, but these were among the strongest, but what amazed him the most was when he saw those images, the thoughts, double, then triple, and he realized that everyone was seeing them. His mind felt like it was about to burst, but then it stopped, and everyone's thoughts were filled with shock and confusion.

Renesmee was leaning over Anna, who was breathing hard again, soothing her. Seth was kneeling next to her also, helping to calm her down. They both helped Anna to her feet, and Nessie led her away to lie down for a bit.

"What just happened?" Jake asked, breaking the silence.

"It was like...she was showing us..." Seth struggled for words. "She's really afraid of us, man." It tore him up that he had scared her so much in his wolf form.

Renesmee quietly closed the door and returned, sitting down next to Jake, who wrapped his arm around her.

"She did that before," she said quietly, "under similar circumstances. It's like if the emotions get too hard for her to handle, she...has to release them somehow."

"It could be her gift." Carlisle said in a calm voice, but everyone could tell that he was disturbed by everything. "But I don't understand why she wasn't fully turned. The venom doesn't stop halfway."

"It was killing her." Edward said in a flat voice.

"You're sure?" Carlisle asked. When Edward nodded, Carlisle sighed. "But venom doesn't kill the victims..."

Jake spoke up. "It does to werewolves."

"But she's not a wolf." Nessie said. "If she was, it would have killed her rather than change her."

The room was silent, everyone in their own thoughts, but then the subject of discussion changed to the vampire that had turned her.

"This...Alexander," Carlisle said. "Did you recognize him?"

"No." Edward said. "I've never seen him before.

Jake coughed, summoning the attention towards him. "Right before we got here, Quil said that he'd caught the scent of a full vampire in the wind. If it was him, he stopped close to our border."

"Joanna said the same thing earlier this morning," Seth spoke up.

"He doesn't dare come onto our land. He might circle around, hoping that she leaves." Edward's face was stone hard.

"Well, we'll put everyone on alert. Meanwhile, for Anna..." Carlisle stopped to think for a minute. "She's been through a traumatic experience. She has the instincts of a newborn vampire, but still has humanity, and the two seem to be clashing in her mind, leading her to be afraid. If she's exposed to any more stress, there's no way of saying how she'll handle it." He looked pointedly at Seth. "It might be best for now if she doesn't know about werewolves for now."

Seth looked down, then nodded, as did Jake.

"We'll do our best to make her feel comfortable." Nessie said. "She can stay here as long as she likes, and we'll show her around. We'll show her that she's safe and protected here."

"She doesn't have to run anymore." Seth had a look of longing. It wasn't that she wasn't with him right now, but he just wanted her to be happy. She deserved it.

"We'll spread the word around the pack," Jake said. "Patrols will be going constantly."

"I'll have some of my family help you." Carlisle added.

"You should get Alice to come by," Nessie suggested. "Anna might be more comfortable if she knows that Alice can see him, and is making sure he doesn't come after her again."

"That's a good idea." Carlisle stood up and left, as did Edward. Jake kissed Nessie goodbye. Seth shot one last look at the closed door down the hall, then followed Jake, leaving Nessie alone in the room with her troubled thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you again for everyone who enjoyed my story, put it in favorites, and are on the story-alert thingy, and thank you to the one person who reviewed :D **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I only own Anna.  
**

Renesmee helped Anna, and she finally had a sense of peace. It had been beyond her hope to find all of this. Friends that would stand by her and protect her. The last week of her life seemed like it had lasted forever, and the life she'd had before Alexander found her was fuzzy at first, but she was told that was normal when someone gets turned, and she was happy as she was able to remember more and more with each passing day. She had been so focused on staying out of Alexander's grasp that she'd barely given a thought to her old life and her family.

Jake said that they'd lost Alexander's scent after a few days, which meant that he'd left, but Alice reassured Anna with her vision, saying that she would know if Alexander tried to come back. Anna couldn't believe that he was gone. That he'd left her alone.

Anna found a voice to ask Nessie about the beasts that had chased her the night that they'd found her, but Renesmee reassured her that there was nothing to worry about. Anna was still skeptical, but she didn't hear mention or see any signs of them.

Seth stopped by a couple of times, and Anna felt oddly cheered whenever he did, helping her to recover. She was soon asking Nessie questions about the Cullens' and also about Jake and Seth's friends. On the latter, Nessie was a bit more vague, but she was able to tell Anna that they specialized in killing evil vampires.

Nessie took her to the Cullens', and she met the rest of the local coven. She was nervous and scared to be around so many vampires, but with Jasper's help, she was able to get to know them a bit. Nessie was glad to see her more comfortable around her family even without Jasper calming down her emotions.

They went to a Native American reservation for the Quileute tribe, called La Push, where Seth, his family, and all of his friends lived. He greeted Anna happily when she arrived with a hug, which she returned. Nessie and Seth took her to a house that belonged to Sam and Emily, but she said that a bunch of other friends were going to be over.

"They're all excited to meet you," Seth said, leading her to the house. It looked very peaceful, with the woods behind it. A little girl suddenly came running out of the house, shrieking.

"Sethy!" She cried happily, jumping into his arms and giving him a big hug. She must have been four or five years old. Done giving Seth his huge hug, she turned and hugged Nessie too.

"Hey there, Alli." Nessie said. "Is anyone here yet?"

"Uncle Quil and Claire are here!" The little girl said, bouncing excitedly. Without warning, she turned and ran back into the house, leaving Seth and Nessie laughing.

"That's Allison, Sam and Emily's daughter." Seth explained to Anna. "They have a son, too, but he's only a year old."

They all walked inside, and were greeted by a man with the same black hair and copper skin as Seth. He looked like he was in his late twenties or thirties, and had a commanding feel about him, but at the same time was warm and welcoming. Anna had the feeling that he would do anything to protect his family.

Seth was glad to see Sam, his old Alpha, again, and pulled him into a hug. Sam rubbed his knuckles in Seth's hair, and Seth pushed him away playfully before introducing Anna.

"Welcome to the pack, Anna." He said shaking her hand.

Seth shot a warning glance at him, but Sam just winked at him. Anna missed the whole exchange, and was led inside. Nessie was already inside talking to Emily, Sam's wife, as she cleaned up a little boy and pulled him out of his high-chair.

Emily looked up and saw Anna. She smiled and walked over to her. Anna was given slight pause at the sight of Emily's face. Half of it was disfigured in scars, scars that looked like claw marks from a bear. A bear...or a giant wolf. Images of that terrifying night flashed before Anna's eyes, but she was able to control the fear this time. She smiled at Emily and returned the hug she gave her.

"Hi, I'm Emily." She said, then gestured to the baby she was holding. "And this is Harry." Emily had seen Anna hesitance when she saw her face, and felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry if my appearance...discomforts you."

Anna was aghast. "No, it's not that. I'm sorry, I...it just reminded me of...something else." Anna wouldn't say what, but Emily saw the mask of emotion that crossed her face, and she laid a hand on Anna's arm.

"It's okay. You have family now."

Anna smiled. Family. She liked the sound of that.

Seth watched Anna from across the room. She was getting along with everyone, and a smile frequently found it's way to her face, which made Seth happy. She was so beautiful.

Quil, Sam, Emily, and Nessie were having a conversation, trying to include Anna, while Claire, who was nine years old now, was playing with Harry, and Alli ran around all the different people. He smiled at her. She was just a ball of energy.

"So that's her?" A voice asked, and Seth turned to see his friend, Jared Cameron. He had left the pack several years ago to be with his imprint and wife, Kim. She came in behind him, her stomach swollen in her seven months of pregnancy. Jared looked at Anna.

"Wow, Seth." He said. "I didn't think you'd pull a Jake on us." He grinned, and pulled Seth over for a hug, clapping him on the back. "I'm glad for you, man."

"Thanks." Seth said, and Jared went over to receive hugs and fist-bumps from the others. Pretty soon, everyone arrived, including Paul and his wife, Rachel, and a few other retired members of the pack, Brady, Peter, his imprint Tess, and John. Ben came too, looking at Anna strangely, before shrugging and moving on.

Seth noticed the absence of his sister, Leah. She finally learned to control her temper, and therefore her phasing, and she left the reservation to go to college, and to find a life for herself. She wanted to fall in love with someone, but wasn't sure if a girl could imprint or not. She had said something about time starting up for her again, which she was glad about, and Seth was happy that she could move past her relationship with Sam.

At some point, Joanna came in without her shoes, and Seth knew she'd been out on patrol. She called Ben and Quil for their turn, and joined in on the party. A few minutes later, Jake came in.

Everyone wanted to get to know Anna, and she was a little caught off-guard to be the object of attention. They asked her questions like where she was from, what she liked, and stuff. Then Kim wanted to know about her family, and Nessie's warning glare was too late, and Kim quickly apologized.

"You don't have to tell us..."

"No, it's okay." Anna said. "It would be good to talk about them. I just...haven't wanted to yet because I miss them." She said softly, looking down.

She hadn't been away from them for all that long, but Seth could tell that wasn't what pained her. It was not knowing whether or not she was going to be able to see them again. She'd been told that it would be safer for them if she stayed away for now. She wouldn't want to put them in Alexander's sights.

"My family wasn't perfect. Dad had a well-paying job, but he wasn't around much. Mom had a job too, so she wasn't always there, but they loved my brother and me. We didn't see extended family because Dad's was small and far away, and Mom wasn't close to hers. My twin brother and I were close. I mean, how could twins not be?" She smiled, still not looking at anyone. "He was always there for me."

Seth listened as she told them what her brother Nick was like, and some friends she had. But then she said something completely unexpected that had everyone alert.

"When we were kids, my mother used to tell us bedtime stories, ones that she'd been told when she was little. Legends about mythical creatures like men who could turn into wolves, and the Cold Ones." She stopped when she realized that everyone was staring at her. "What?" She asked.

"Who is your mother?" Jake asked her. Unexpectedly, it was Rachel who spoke up.

"Emmie." She said. "Emmie _Black,_ right?"

When Anna nodded, Rachel laughed.

"I thought I recognized you! I haven't seen you since you were Alli's age though." She said, reaching over to give Anna another hug. "Jake! Don't you remember? Emmie is Dad's younger sister! Anna's our cousin!"

Jake exchanged glances between Seth and Nessie. Could this mean something? They were interrupted when Peter suddenly called for a game of football, which everyone readily agreed to.

They split into two teams, one with Sam, Jared, Paul, and Peter, and the other with Jake, Seth, John, and Joanna insisted on playing instead of watching by the sidelines like all the other girls. It was a very rough game, with injuries that would probably bother them for a couple of hours, but no one was worried with the faster healing rate. Even for the retired wolves, healing was a little slower than for those still in the pack, but much better than a humans.

Jake's team did pretty well for a while, with excellent teamwork between Joanna and her older brother retired from the pack, John, but then Sam, Jared, and Paul managed to pull forward along with Peter, and they won.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! It's going to get exciting soon.**

**Disclaimer: Yet again, I don't own Twilight.  
**

Alice had been watching Alexander's movements. After he eventually left Forks, he went back to Anna's hometown, like he was wandering, confused. He stayed there for a few days, and then left. Alice couldn't see where he was going, or what he was intending to do. She hoped this would be the end of it, but she still watched him, just in case.

Right now Jake was here, pacing the living room. It was funny how humans felt the need to do that. Not that Jake was really human, but he was more human than any of the Cullens. He'd just told Edward and Carlisle that Anna was related to the Quileute tribe.

"What does that mean?" Carlisle asked.

"It means that she could have werewolf genes." Edward said. He understood what Jake was suggesting. "But that still doesn't explain why she's only half-vampire. If she inherited the genes, his presence would have triggered them and she'd have phased."

"Would the venom still have preventing her from being turned if she hadn't phased yet?" Alice asked.

"Even if she hadn't phased yet, it still should have killed her if she was a werewolf." Carlisle said.

Edward was looking hard at Jake. "Explain." He said.

Jake looked at Edward, used to the mind-reading by now. "It's just something Sam used to say. When the Volturi came for Nessie and all those other bloodsuckers came to help, the pack's numbers increased, and people who we didn't think could ever be wolves phased. He said something about how the genes weren't as strong in those who weren't directly related, and came up with a theory about how, with some, they had a fifty/fifty chance of phasing if a vampire came along." He smiled bitterly. "The gathering six years ago tipped the scales."

Carlisle nodded in understanding. "So because she had the wolf genes, but they weren't strong enough to trigger the transformation, the venom changed her. But they were still strong enough that the venom started killing her, until the venom got sucked back out again."

Edward nodded. "That's a good theory. It-"

There was a loud thump, and everyone looked at Alice where she was standing by the windows. The large book she'd been reading had fallen to the ground, and a worried look was on her delicate features.

"What did you see?" Carlisle asked.

Alice drew in a shaken breath. "It's the Volturi. Alexander's going to see them. He's going to tell them about Anna. I don't know for sure yet what they'll do, but they'll probably want to see for themselves how Anna was only changed half-way."

Edward cursed, for once dropping his calm, stony look. "They just won't leave us in peace."

"Are they interested in Nessie?" Jake asked, concerned.

Alice shook her head. "I don't know yet, but I don't think so."

Carlisle sighed. "We'll try to protect Anna in any way that we can. They might leave without confrontation like they did with Renesmee. In the meantime...we'll prepare."

"Should we leave? You've been talking about moving again." Alice suggested. They'd already stayed longer in Forks than they'd stayed anywhere in a long time, and were having to avoid people who would recognize them so they wouldn't raise questions about the Cullens not aging, but Bella insisted that she wanted to be as close to Charlie as she could for as long as possible, and they all wanted to stick together.

"No. That wouldn't solve anything." Edward would do anything for Bella.

"Alice, keep watching them. Try to see what they intend to do once they come," Carlisle said. "For now, we need to warn everyone."

Alice turned back to the window, hoping that this time, like last time, would result without a fight.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Here's chapter 7! Read and enjoy, or read and don't enjoy. Review and tell me how you like it, or review and tell me how you don't like it, whichever fits your fancy. Thank you everyone for over 300 views, and somewhere around 10 followers, 4 favorites, and 3 reviews :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.  
**

Anna was having a good time. Everyone treated her nicely, and she was good friends with Nessie. Seth would come to see her often, and she always felt better when he was around. She couldn't explain it, but he was the only person that could make her feel really happy.

And then it all crashed.

They had gotten word that Alexander had brought Anna to the attention of some all-powerful vampires, and the fear came back, as well as the instinct to run. Seth was able to comfort her though, prompting her to stay.

Everyone was on alert, and Seth was also closer to Anna. She felted protected when he came to check on her more often. A few sleepless nights passed for Anna, and Alice said that they would come in a couple of weeks.

One day, after Anna had forced herself to relax and took a shower, she climbed out and heard voices. It sounded like Seth was here again, and was talking to Nessie. She only heard a few words even with her advanced hearing as she got dressed.

"...She needs to know..."

"...She might panic again..."

"...She'll be fine..."

Anna grew concerned as she listened. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she was pretty sure they were talking about her. Were they keeping something from her? She thought back. The state she'd been in when they'd taken her in was pretty unstable, and she couldn't blame them if they did. Still, if it was something she should know...

Her mind wandered to the wolves that chased her again. She had managed to forget about them during the time she stayed here, but still wondered where they fit in. Nessie had told her not to worry about them, and she trusted Nessie. Maybe someone who was smart wouldn't, but Anna did.

She walked quietly down the hall, and Seth and Nessie both looked up at her as she entered the room. A look of concern was on Nessie's face, but she quickly covered it with a smile. She walked over and gave Anna a hug.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe." She pulled away. "I'm going to see my parents, and I'll be back soon." She gave Anna one last glance before she left and a reassuring smile. Anna looked questioningly at Seth.

"Come for a walk with me?" He asked, and Anna nodded, still worried.

Seth watched her as they walked in silence. She knew something was up, but she didn't say anything, waiting for him to tell her. He wanted to tell her about the werewolves, but Nessie was concerned about how she would take it after everything she'd been through. Seth was worried about that too, but he could see that Anna was strong. He knew that with the Volturi coming, it was better that she knew beforehand.

He heaved a sigh, and she looked at him expectantly from under her long lashes. Seth admired her strange but beautiful purple eyes, her long silky midnight hair. She was wearing a red coat that reached down to her knees and hugged her form. She had the red hood pulled over her head, hiding part of her face.

"There's something that I need to tell you." Seth said, looking away from her. "And I don't want you to be afraid." He sighed again, hesitant to tell her, remember the images and the fear she had shown them when she first arrived.

Anna was silent, waiting for him to continue, as they walked aimlessly through the forest.

"You said that your mother used to tell you legends when you were little. Legends about men turning into wolves to protect the tribe, right? And the Cold Ones?"

She nodded, this being unexpected.

Seth went on. "Your mother was from La Push. She grew up here, in the Quileute tribe, and this is where she heard all of those legends." He stopped walking. "The legends are all true."

She stopped next to Seth and looked at him, at first disbelieving, and then realizing he was serious. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"The Cold Ones? Those are vampires." He replied.

"And...the wolves..." Anna couldn't breathe for a minute. She didn't entirely understand what he was getting at, but she could guess. Except she didn't want to guess.

They were interrupted his a sudden howl in the distance, and she and Seth snapped to alert. It was only then that she caught a scent. She'd gotten used to being around the Cullens, but this scent was different. This scent was familiar. Seth could smell it too, and he stepped in front of her protectively.

It was close.

Seth turned and she looked into his eyes. She saw the dark brown they were. She saw protectiveness and sorrow. She saw love.

There was rustling in the underbrush, and Seth looked away from her, stepping back as he did so. All the sudden, fur exploded all over his body and his clothes ripped to shreds. In the blink of an eye, a huge wolf stood in front of her, as tall as she was, with sandy brown fur.

She involuntarily back away from it, and it growled deeply. Anna saw a flash of movement and looked in the lower branches of one of the trees, and her heart must have stopped beating.

"Alexander..." she whispered through numb lips.

He was sitting on a branch, one leg dangling and the other perched on the wood, his elbow resting on his knee in a very casual position. Or at least it would have been casual if he hadn't been balancing precariously, and yet he made it look easy. His eyes bored into Anna, and he smirked at her.

"Anna," he said, and the wolf growled even louder. "Calm down _mutt._ If I was going to hurt her, she'd be dead already." He growled back at the wolf. He spoke in a slight accent, but Anna's mind wasn't in the right set to think about where he was from.

"I've just come to see you one last time before the Volturi come," he said satisfactorily. His expression softened. "There was a time where I would have done anything for you to be at my side..." He hardened again, fury crossing his face. "And then you led me through that _infernal_ chase!"

Anna was too frightened for words. She was frozen to her spot, her back to a thick-trunked tree. She couldn't even think about running away with two monsters in front of her.

Alexander suddenly gave a short, harsh laugh.

"Did you ever think that you could prevent all of this if you had just come with me? And now your precious..._protectors_," the word dripped with venom, "might get hurt, all because of you. There's no telling what the Volturi will do when they get here." He stood up and glared down at the wolf. "Catch me...if you dare."

He was a blur as he jumped and started running the other direction. The wolf barked and lunged at him, but didn't give chase. The wolf stood, facing the direction Alexander had gone, and then it turned to Anna. It took a step toward her, and then stopped, gazing at her.

She pressed her back into the tree, feeling the rough bark. Her brain was screaming at her to run, to hide, to do _something_, but she just stood there, wide-eyed, looking at the wolf. And then she really _looked_ at it. She gazed in it's dark brown eyes. Seth's eyes. She exhaled deeply.

"Seth?" She asked tentatively, and the great wolf bowed its head, still watching her. She didn't want to run. She was tired of running. If she was going to run anywhere, she wanted it to be in someone's arms. She took a step forward, reaching her hand out a little. Seth didn't move, like he was afraid of scaring her.

She kept walking slowly until she was standing next to him, and reached out to touch his fur. It was soft as she ran her hand along it. She reached out her other hand, and before she knew it, she was hugging Seth's neck and burying her face in his fur, sobbing.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: People seemed to really like that last chapter! This one is short and toned down, but it kind of has to be after all the excitement before. Thank you everyone for viewing and reviewing and all the cool stuff that makes my day :)**

**In response to loveinfinity's question about her purple eyes, I thought it would be cool that, since she was only changed halfway into a vampire, her eyes are halfway between her own eye color (blue) and vampire eye color (red) making them purple.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Just my characters and the storyline. And by that, I mean this storyline. Not Twilight's storyline...you know, cuz I don't own Twilight.  
**

Seth walked through the forest with Anna's hand on his shoulder. The confrontation with Alexander had shaken her up pretty bad, but she recovered pretty quickly. He was amazed at the progress she had made over the last week. Once she had finished crying, they started back to find Nessie.

Ben, Joanna, and Quil chased Alexander after he had left them, but he managed to get away before they could catch him. Seth had also felt Jake phase to make sure his packmates were safe, and he said that everyone was really worried about Anna.

Seth was still in his wolf form as his clothes got torn up when he phased, and Anna walked in silence, thinking about something. He was really glad that she didn't freak out when he phased, as she did so many other times.

He greatly admired her strength. And yet, at the same time, she was kind and caring, and fun to be around once she came out of her shell. She wasn't like, say, Bella, who knew what she wanted and would go after it no matter what. Anna was...more like a frightened deer. Once she lets you be around her, and get to know her, she's so gentle, and loyal, and is willing to wait for what she wants.

Seth just wanted the people who were after her to leave her alone.

"Anna!" A voice called through the trees.

Nessie didn't wait for them to get to the edge of the forest, and instead came running, flinging her arms around Anna, and she gratefully returned the hug. "I'm so happy you're safe." She whispered into Anna's ear, but Seth still heard it. They got closer to the house and they saw that Jake, Edward, Bella, and Alice were all there as well.

Alice came up and gave Anna a hug too. She was frantic. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I was so caught up in watching the Volturi, I didn't even think that Alexander would come back-"

"It's okay." Anna insisted. "We're fine. He just wanted to gloat." She reassured Alice. Alice blamed herself for him catching them unawares.

"Come on Anna," Nessie put her arm around Anna's shoulders. "I'll bet you need some rest."

Anna turned back to Seth. "Thanks, Seth."

Seth watched Nessie lead her in the house, and then, with a glance at the others, turned and ran into the forest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. **

Anna had told everyone what Alexander said to her, and despite their insistences that everything was going to be fine, the words still nagged at her. People could get hurt. And it would be her fault. She didn't know what to expect from these Volturi. She'd been told that they were some sort of law-enforcers for vampires, but that she didn't do anything wrong, and she wasn't a threat. Still, she didn't want anyone to get hurt trying to protect her.

The Volturi were coming, and Anna would be ready. Whatever they were going to do to her, she would accept. She didn't even know what kind of life she had to look forward to if they allowed her to live, but didn't mean that she would give up. She still had the instinct to run, but running away would only prolong the inevitable. There was only one thing she could do before they came...and probably only one person that would let her do it.

She was at the beach, watching the waves endlessly crash onto the shore, sitting on a log several yards from the shoreline. The wind blew her ebony hair past her eyes, and she had to tuck it inside her red hood. The smell of the salt in the ocean almost stung her nose, but she ignored it. She didn't feel the temperature as much as she used to, but at the same time, she was always cold. She felt the cold, but it didn't bother her. She was just glad that her skin held at least a little warmth.

Anna looked up as she heard footsteps, and immediately smiled as she watched Seth approach. She didn't know why she did that every time she saw him. He sat down next to her and watched the waves. They hadn't spoken much about him being a wolf since their encounter with Alexander, but she was strangely okay with it. It was still Seth.

"I need to ask you something." She finally spoke.

"Anything." Seth replied, looking at her.

"I'm asking you because everyone else would say that it's too dangerous or something like that, and I need you to help me convince them. And also..." Anna hesitated. "I would like you to come with me."

Seth was worried about what she was going to ask for next. He would do anything for her, but if it risked her safety... "Come where?"

She sighed, her violet eyes meeting his brown ones. "I need to see my family." She said. Before Seth could say anything, she continued. "I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see them again, and the Volturi won't be here for another week."

Seth took her hand in his, and she felt unnatural heat as he did so, the heat she always felt when he was close. Apparently it was a wolf thing.

"You don't need to explain anything. I'll help convince the others to let you go, and if you want me to go with you, I will. It's not like they own you or anything. And don't say things like that. I'm sure that once the Volturi come, they'll leave again and you'll be able to do whatever you want. Besides," he added, trying to add a little humor. "They'll have to get through me first."

Anna smiled. "Thanks." She said. "Even if we don't go up to them, or even let them know we're there, I just...want to see them again."

"I understand. I'm sure the others will too. Everyone's just worried for your safety, is all. "

"I know, and I don't know how I can possibly thank everyone for helping me."

Seth shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It's kind of something they do."

They sat watching the ocean in silence for a while.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I hope everyone had a happy New Years and all that :) I know chapters have been getting shorter, but the next one (or the one after, I don't remember) is going to be so big, I might have to split it up into two parts. I still love getting reviews from you guys!**

**Disclaimer: (you can ignore this part, but that doesn't make it not true) I don't own Twilight. I only own my characters (which doesn't include her mom, in case anyone was wondering. Emmie is actually a part of the official Black family line) and my story.  
**

It took some persuasion, and maybe a little threat about going anyway for Nessie and the other Cullens to allow Anna to leave for a few days. They felt better with Seth there to protect her, and they told her it could be dangerous for her family if they saw her, so she promised to stay out of sight.

So, before she knew it, she was in the car with Seth, set for a several hour drive to her home town. She asked him questions for the first time about being a wolf, and he answered them freely. He even told her about something called imprinting, where a wolf finds his soulmate, and he was strangely quiet while talking about it, and she didn't think about it much.

She napped some, and they stopped for gas and food, and she watched the terrain get more familiar. They passed the border into Oregon, and suddenly they arrived, exiting the forest into her hometown, and Anna was suddenly anxious. Seth noticed, and asked how to get where she lived, taking turns as she pointed them out. He stopped the car across the street from her house. It was dark outside, and most people were getting ready for bed.

All the lights were off in the windows of her house except for one, with the curtains open just enough to see through. Anna watched anxiously for movement on the inside, but didn't see anything, so she just looked at the place where she'd been her whole life, living through some memories in her head, and still no one showed. She was just about to tell Seth to leave when she saw someone walk past the window.

The figure hesitated, and Anna recognized it as her mother. She disappeared for a minute, and then returned, standing in front of the gap. Her father walked up and folded her mother in his arms, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Anna watched as her father held her mother as her body wracked with painful sobs, until she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Let's go," she whispered to Seth, and he complied.

They didn't say a word to each other as Seth went and rented rooms at a motel for each of them. He squeezed her arm, wordlessly telling her that he was there for her, and she told him a meager goodnight before retiring to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Here's the next chapter. If you have any questions, write them in a review or feel free to PM me. Tell me your thoughts on what you read and whatnot, and thank you everyone who's been reading this! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.  
**

Anna was up at dawn, watching her quiet street slowly wake up. She was keeping her distance as she promised, and was some way down the road from her house, sitting on a bench with her hood over her face and her hair tucked carefully where it couldn't be seen so as to prevent anyone she knew from recognizing her.

Seth knew where she was, but allowed her to be alone for now. She watched as kids left for school and parents left for work. She expected to see Nick headed off to school, but she never saw him, and figured he was taking some time off after her disappearance. She continued watching, and soon her parents both got in the car and left. It was a relief to see them safe, and yet painful as she thought of the sorrow she had caused them.

Anna got up and walked away. Seth came and met up with her, and she put an effort into being happy. They spent several hours hanging out, and Anna showed him all her favorite places, and recounted some fond memories. She showed him the bowling alley and her 'lucky lane', even though they didn't play, and she took him to see where her parents worked, and showed him her school as it was getting out. She saw some of her friends, though she took care that they didn't see her. None of them had the bounce and happy smiles she remembered them having. She didn't see her twins face in the crowd.

They went for a walk around the city park and she stopped by the drinking fountain. She heard a stranger talking to Seth and she listened, keeping her head down, now only pretending to drink.

"Have you seen anyone from this picture?" The stranger asked.

There was silence for a minute, before Seth replied "no."

Anna could tell his voice was a little strained, but it didn't sound like a lie, and she sighed in relief as she heard the stranger leave. Having to keep being a werewolf secret for so long paid off, it seems. She lifted her head and watched the stranger walk away, and exchanged glances with Seth.

"He was showing me a picture of you with your brother I think," he said, and Anna nodded.

"I thought as much."

She watched his retreating back, wondering if she recognized him, and she saw him stop by a park bench and turn. She lowered her face, just in case, but then realized that she recognized the backs of the people sitting on that bench. The stranger was probably with the police trying to find her, and was now meeting up with her parents.

Anna wandered closer, wanting to hear what they were saying, trying to act casual. Seth came with her and wrapped his arm around her waist, and they looked like a normal couple.

"Find anything Mr. Miller?" Her father sounded hopeful.

Anna was confused. If they were looking for her, shouldn't Nick be with them?

The stranger, Miller, sighed. "Not yet. I'm sorry. We can guess at when and where your daughter disappeared, but we still don't know who could have done it." Miller sat down next to Anna's mother. "Is there anything, anything at _all_ that you can tell me? People that were interested in your children? Somewhere they would have gone together?"

Anna didn't know what he was talking about. Did Miller think she ran away? She wouldn't ever to that, and Nick was even less likely of doing that than she was. Wait...what did Nick have to do with this?

Her parents both shook their heads.

Miller pressed forward. "What about their behaviour? Did either of them say anything, were they acting any differently at all?"

"No...I know what you're suggesting, and they wouldn't ever do that!" Her mother said. "They were happy kids, they have friends, and they are responsible. They never got in with the bad crowd, and even convinced some of their friends out of drugs and alcohol." She was crying again and almost shouting at the man.

The world suddenly started pressing in on Anna and she was having problems breathing.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Seth asked her, concerned.

"I need to get out of here," she whispered. She couldn't break down in public. She couldn't let anyone see her, as much as she desired to run up to her parents' arms and tell them it was okay. But it wasn't okay. It was far from okay. Seth led her away and she kept as calm as she could until they got to a corner of the park by the edge of the trees away from all the people.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked again and she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"He was talking about 'them.' _Them._" She gasped as he led her further out and in the comfort of the forest. Anna could barely talk through her tears. "He found them, Alexander found them." She cried hysterically.

Seth tried to get her to calm down. "It's going to fine, I promise. What is it they were talking about?" He whispered, and Anna looked up at Seth.

"Nick's gone."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Here we get to find out what happened to Anna's brother, Nick. If you have any questions, or there's something I failed to address in the story, just let me know and I'll get back to you, either in a PM or in an author's note in another chapter. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own Anna and Nick however, so :P  
**

They stayed in the forest for a while where no one could see them, and Seth just held Anna, comforting her until her tears ran out. She told him about her fears that Alexander took Nick too, but once Seth helped her to see logic, she calmed down a bit. Alice would have seen it if Alexander did anything to her brother.

Anna could envision Nick going to look for her. If their situations had been reversed, she would have done anything to find him. She _will_ do anything to find him. But he wouldn't have disappeared like that.

Seth suggested that they ask around and see what people knew about it before doing anything, and Anna agreed. She was so grateful to Seth for helping her through everything. She told him that, but couldn't put how much it meant to her into words, but he understood.

The next day, school was out so it wasn't hard to find all of Nick and Anna's friends and ask them about what they knew. Anna would wander around acting inconspicuous while Seth would go up and talk to them, saying about how he was a friend or wanted to help or something like that.

Apparently, Nick didn't go missing until four days ago, instead of the same time Anna disappeared. He had been very upset with his sister missing, and started acting reckless, like he'd go to any lengths to find her. Anna was touched by this, and at the same time cursing it, hoping that Nick didn't do anything stupid.

Ian, Nick's best bud and a close friend of Anna's as well, said that Nick started getting irritated at small things, almost going into a rage. That wasn't like him, but as she'd been missing for a week, she could understand. And then...he was just gone. He didn't come home one night, and had vanished just as mysteriously as Anna had.

She was driving herself crazy worrying about him, and tried to relax enough to go to sleep, but it wasn't working. Feeling restless, she finally decided to get up. Knocking softly on Seth's door, she was surprised when he immediately answered it. He wasn't sleeping either.

Anna smiled weakly at him. "I can't sleep." She said. "I'm going to go for a walk."

"I'll come with you." Seth said quickly, but she stopped him.

"I just...want to go alone this time. Sorry."

He looked at her in concern. "Are you sure?" He asked. "If Alexander's out there anywhere..." He stopped, not needing to say anything else.

"I'm half-vampire, remember?" Anna laughed a little. "I've already proven that I can run as fast as him."

Seth sighed, but reluctantly let it go. She told him how long she planned on being gone, and gave him a route to make him feel better, and then she left. She didn't go to the town, or walk the streets of the neighborhood. She felt...out of place there. She wasn't entirely human anymore, and didn't entirely belong in the human world. She headed for the woods through the park where she told Seth she'd go.

The trees enveloped her, separating her from all the people and their ignorant, busy lives. It was quiet here, and she could think better in the darkness, the stars half-covered by the leafy roof over her head. She didn't want to think, because the only thing she could think about was her brother, and all the different possibilities that could have happened. She would wonder where he was now, and how much pain and torture he could be enduring. So she didn't think about it.

Instead she just listened. She listened to the breeze in the branches, and she listened to the owls out on the hunt. She listened to raccoons and other nocturnal animals going about the night. She listened to her footsteps, her breathing, and her constant but faint heartbeat.

Anna sighed and sat down, the dry leaves crinkling underneath her as she did so. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but she figured she still had some time before Seth got worried. There was a hole in the treetops, and she could vaguely pick out part of Orion in the stars, their dim light faded from the half-moon in the sky above her head.

She laid there and finally allowed herself to think about Nick again, with a calmer state of mind.

"Please be okay." She whispered.

As soon as she said that, she heard a twig snap, bringing her back to reality. Anna sat up, alert, and climbed to her feet. If Alexander was there, she'd be able to smell him, and all she smelled were woodsy scents, trees and animals.

She heard a great exhale, and peered into the shadows between the trees. Her eyes were better than they used to be, and the darkness wasn't black, like it would be to a human. Still, her eyes weren't as good as a full vampires were, and she couldn't see very far. Then she recognized the scent. It hadn't stood out to her against all the other scents because it was similar to everything else here, but it was very much alike to Seth's scent when he'd stood in front of her as a wolf.

And then she saw it. It started walking towards her slowly, almost numbly, but it had taken so long to spot because of its jet black fur, but it was a wolf. Like Seth, it stood at about her height at the shoulder, and she knew it wasn't an ordinary wolf. But, according to Seth, only Quileute tribe members were werewolves, and this one didn't match any description of the active pack members.

It stopped moving some five feet away from her, looking at her with...Anna could almost see a look of disbelief on its face. She was poised, ready to run, but something held her back. She recalled when she first saw Seth as a wolf, and how his eyes had been the same, so she looked at the wolf's eyes.

She could see emotion in them, and how human they looked. They were blue, bright but not startling, much like her own had been before she was turned. Like she'd looked at them a hundred times. Or more like a hundred times a day. Slowly, the pieces fell into place for her.

"Nick?" Anna breathed, and the wolf reacted. He acted like he wanted to rush over to her, and at the same time didn't want to because he was afraid of hurting her, or that she would be scared of him. This was unexpected, and he was as freaked out as she was when she had Alexander after her. Probably more so, even.

She took the decision away from him, going forward and flinging her arms around his neck.

"I'm so happy you're safe!" Anna cried to him, holding onto him tightly. He started whining, and she pulled away, realizing tight she'd been squeezing. "Sorry."

Nick looked very happy to see her, and his tail was wagging. Before she knew it, be basically jumped on top of her and licked her face.

"Nick!" She exclaimed. "I know you're a dog now, but that doesn't mean you have to act like one! Gross!" She wiped her face, and noticed he had withdrawn.

His eyes looked sad, and she sighed, moving to sit down next to him.

"It's okay Nick. I imagine you're pretty freaked right now-" he snorted as she said that. "Ok, a lot freaked. You're not insane, you're not hallucinating, this is all real. But everything is going to be fine. I promise."

Nick gave her a look, and Anna, in typical twin fashion, could basically tell what he was trying to say, and she sighed.

"Seth could explain this way better than I can."

Nick nudged her.

"Seth is my friend," she answered. "He helped me, and he'll be able to help you."

Nick shot her a look.

"_No,_ he is _not._ I like him, but not _that_ way. He's just...really nice, and sweet, and caring, and..." Anna stopped.

Even a human could have read Nick's expression. _Yeah right._ Anna smacked him on the shoulder.

"Quit it." She said playfully, then added more softly, "I was worried about you. When I came back and heard you went missing, I was out of my mind."

Nick plopped down next to her with a huff.

"I know," Anna said, exasperated. "I put you through the exact same thing. And like you, I didn't have any control over what happened. I would take it all back if I could..." Or would she? She thought of all the friends she had made in the past week, and she wasn't so sure.

Nick looked at her, concerned.

"You're going to need a lot of things explained to you if you want to know what happened to me. And what happened to you, too, being a werewolf and all."

Nick stood up suddenly, alarmed.

"What?" Anna asked, and then realized what she'd called him, and started laughing. "Nick, you watch too many horror movies! You're not a monster or anything, all those shows have it all wrong."

Nick looked dubious.

"Do you feel like you've lost your mind to a monster? Do you feel like you want to go on a bloodthirsty killing spree?" She asked.

Nick just looked at her, and then sat down again.

"See? You're still you. We should probably wait for Seth to come here, because I'll mess the story up. He'll come looking for me soon." Anna leaned against her brother's side, his fur soft against her face.

She was ecstatic to have Nick back, and happy that she could tell him everything, and he would be there for her like he had been her whole life. She was sorry that he had to be a part of this too, sorry that he couldn't have the normal life she wished she could return to. She wasn't even aware of being tired, but before she knew it, Anna fell asleep nestled next to her twin brother.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Over 1,000 views! Cool. Thank you, people who have been keeping up with the story and all, and I like it when you review. It makes me happy :) Thanks you Brown-Eyed-Wolfie and ninja princess LW for repeatedly reviewing and sharing your thoughts with me :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer.  
**

Anna's breathing slowed and evened next to Nick, and he realized that she'd fallen asleep. The past week and a half for him had been absolutely terrible, starting with the night she didn't come back from work. Everyone had gone crazy trying to find her, Nick more than others, and then a few days ago, he started getting angry over little things. People thought it was just the stress, and then he started burning up like he had a fever.

And then...he didn't know _what_ happened. He still had a hard time believing any of it. He was now living in the forest, avoiding human contact, wondering if he should try to get help, as a giant dog or something. And then Anna showed up, and suddenly everything seemed like it was going to be fine.

She wasn't scared of Nick. In fact, she had recognized him. And obviously, she knew something about what was going on, and it was why she disappeared in the first place. Nick was just happy to have her back. He had gone crazy with his twin gone. Something was...different about her though. He couldn't really tell what it was yet, especially in the dark, but she looked different. And her scent...she smelled sweet, unlike all the other people he'd come close to.

He felt something happen, but he couldn't explain. It was like he could feel something else in his mind, and could see through someone else's eyes. He perked up, almost waking up his sister, as he tried to decipher what was going on.

_Who are you?_ A voice asked, and he tried to find out where it was coming from.

_What? Who was that? _What _was that? _Nick thought. Now he was hearing voices inside his head. Even Anna couldn't argue that he wasn't going crazy now.

_You know Anna? Hang on a second...you're Nick! It makes sense now! I thought there was something familiar about your behaviour before you went missing. _The voice said, and Nick almost had enough, until it introduced itself. _I'm Seth._

_Seth? Anna talked about you. She said you were her friend. Do...you always talk to people like this? _Nick asked in his head. Apparently that was how this person communicated.

_Nope. Only wolves. We're all telepathically linked to each other, so we can hear each others thoughts. _Seth replied.

Right. _Wait, 'we'?_

_Yeah. You're not the only one, dude. There's a whole pack of us up in La Push. That's in Washington. _Seth said. _Haven't you heard their thoughts? _

Now that he thought about it, Nick had heard voices in his head, but they sounded faint and far away. He couldn't always make out what they said, and was even more convinced that he was going crazy when he heard them.

_I can hear them better than you can right now, but that's probably because I've had a lot more experience with our packmates. _Seth explained.

_You said Washington? Is that were Anna went? _Nick asked, curious.

_Yeah. Do you know where she is? She's been going crazy being worried about you._

Nick looked down at his sister sleeping on his side, and Seth took that as an answer.

_I'm coming to you. _He said.

_I'm very confused about all of this, _Nick told Seth. _Can you start at the beginning, please?_

Seth started running towards their position, and he told Nick everything he knew about werewolves, where they came from, why they phased, side-effects and the like.

_Wait, vampires are real? _Nick interrupted when Seth got to that part.

_Yeah. Anna had a little run-in with one of them, and that's why she ran away, is because he was chasing her. _

Nick almost growled at the thought of that, then saw images, memories of Seth's of a bloodsucker in a tree, taunting his frightened sister who was pressed against a tree.

_You've noticed that she's different, _Seth said, more solemn this time, and Nick suddenly saw in Seth's mind more of the difference. The heightened senses, speed, and strength.

_He turned her into one of them._ This time Nick really did growl.

_Not entirely. She's only half-vampire. _Seth explained to Nick how they found her and things that have happened over the time she's been with them. Seth couldn't keep his feelings for Anna away from Nick, and he'd already told him about imprinting.

_You did _what _on my sister? _Nick asked, surprised.

_It's not romantic or anything, _Seth quickly defended himself.

_Well...I guess I can't blame you. I can see how you feel about her. _Nick's memory of what Anna had said about Seth came up, and Seth saw it. Nick could feel the giddy feeling it gave Seth. _She does like you. She might have denied it, but we're twins. She can't keep anything from me._

Nick heard with own ears a rustling, and a sand-colored wolf came trotting up to them. He was amazed at the size, even if he was one.

_I'm glad she's safe, and that she found you,_ Seth said honestly.

_K, well don't take it personally, man, but I feel like it's my duty as her brother to say something. If you hurt her in any way, or mistreat her at _all_, you'll have me to deal with. _Nick tried to glare at Seth, but it didn't quite work.

_Do I look like I would ever do that? _Seth was taken aback.

_Well, no, _Nick admitted. _But isn't that what brothers usually say to guys that start dating their sisters? Not that you're dating, but if you imprinted on her, it's only a matter of time. _

_I guess that's true._

They were silent for a minute, until Seth told him the rest of what he knew about werewolves and vampires, and Nick got another shock when he heard that the head leeches were coming for Anna.

_Dude, if they so much as _touch _her..._he threatened, and Seth agreed with him wholeheartedly. They continued talking - or thinking or whatever - for a bit until Seth sighed.

_Well, now you know as much about being a wolf as I do._

Nick was silent for a minute. _So I'm not stuck like this? _He asked.

_Nope. It's always hard at first to control your anger and not accidentally phase, and the first phase, it's hard to calm down enough to get back to human, but you'll get it. _

_So I just have to be calm? _Nick was doubtful.

_Dude, have you been calm at all since you phased? _Seth asked him.

_I see your point. But still...it's hard to imagine ever being calm with the knowledge that stuff like this exists._

Seth shrugged it off. _You'll get used to it. _He stood and started jogging off.

_Where are you going? _Nick was curious.

_To get more clothes, _Seth said. _That's another thing about being a werewolf. Clothes don't phase with you. _

Nick was left to ponder this, and shortly he felt a sudden absence in his mind. He guessed that meant that Seth phased back to human. It was quiet now. He laid his head on the forest floor, and slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I have had an idea that will make this story longer than I originally thought it would be, but worry not as the outcome will be the same and fortunately, I don't have to do any rewrites except of chapters that have not been released yet, so you don't need to do any rereading because I changed something or other. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, because it...doesn't really matter. Anyway...**

**In response to XxSaphirezxX's (I hope I spelled that right) question about Anna's parents knowing about the wolves and stuff, yes they know the legends, but most people in La Push thought they were only legends instead of truth, so no, their parents don't know the truth in the stories.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.  
**

**Claimer: I own Red Hood and my own characters. Which...you know, isn't very many, but still. They're mine. And uh...I think I'm rambling now, so go ahead and read the next chapter.  
**

Nick woke up, on his stomach, and on the cold forest floor. Or at least it would have been cold, if his temperature wasn't much hotter than it used to be. His mind was lost for a moment, as the last thing he remembered that Anna was with him, and he was told he was a werewolf.

His eyes snapped open, and he was wide awake now. Anna was gone, as was the wolf that had helped him the previous night, Seth. And then he realized that he was naked, and with that also came the realization that he was human.

He was covered with a jacket, and a pair of pants were folded next to him. Nick stood up and gratefully pulled them on, and listened for signs of his sister, and was rewarded with the light shuffling of dry leaves and his sisters voice. He followed where the sound was coming from, and stopped when he saw Anna, relief flooding his face.

She looked up at him, and stood from where she'd been sitting on the ground with a man. Her face lit up at the sight of him, she walked over to Nick and he folded her in his arms. He was so happy and relieved that his twin was safe and with him again, he didn't think he would be able to find words for it.

"I was so worried about you..." Anna whispered into his chest. "I thought...I had thought that Alexander..." she was sobbing now.

Nick hushed her. The two of them were very close, not only as twins, but also best friends. They always stuck together when their parents couldn't spend time with them, and they always had each other when bad things happened.

Anna calmed herself and pulled away from Nick, looking up at him. As she wiped tears from her eyes, Nick was really able to see the changes in her.

"Your eyes...they're purple." He said.

She giggled. "You're...taller."

"You're paler."

"You're hotter."

"You really think so?" He teased her, and they laughed.

"I meant body temperature, idiot," she playfully punched him on the stomach. "You're also ripped, dude. I guess I can't tease you about having a pot belly anymore."

"I've never had a pot belly!" Nick protested.

Seth smiled, amused at the sibling exchange. It was amazing how, despite how much they'd been through and how their lives had drastically changed, they could still act the same that they always had. Seth also realized that this was something that Anna had been missing to bring the smile back on her face. They still had dangers ahead of them, and many things had been weighing down on Anna, but just for this moment, she could forget about all of that.

A look of alarm suddenly crossed Nick's face. "Mom! Dad! They'll be worried sick about us!" He exclaimed.

Anna stopped him, and he saw her crushed face. "No, Nick. We can't go to them now. Not yet." She said softly.

Nick remembered why. "So...what now?" He asked.

"We should probably all go back to La Push," Seth spoke up. "Staying here would not only be harder to hide both of you from the townsfolk, but also might draw the attention of the bloodsuckers. You'll both be safer there, and we can teach Nick how to control his phasing."

Nick was reluctant to leave, but with persuasion from Anna, he agreed. They got him some more clothes, including a hoodie to hide himself from being seen, and as soon as Seth purchased food for the three of them, they were on their way back to Forks.

Even though she knew it was a wolf thing, Anna giggled at how much both Nick and Seth ate, and she and her twin went back to teasing each other. After that, they just sat in silence, reassured by each others presence. Seth made a phone call to someone in La Push, telling them of what had occurred and that Nick was coming back with them.

They talked about where they would stay, because Jake and Nessie's place wasn't big enough for both Anna and Nick, and the two didn't want to be separated...again. After some discussion, Seth suggested that they stay at his house, since both his mom and sister moved out some years ago, and they agreed on that.

Before Anna knew it, they were back in La Push, and she suddenly felt very tired and didn't want to face a whole bunch of people. Nick was already asleep in the car.

Seth met her gaze. "We'll see everyone tomorrow. Tonight, you two can just get some rest."

She smiled appreciatively at him, and thought about how he always seemed to know exactly what she needed. It was almost like he was a mind-reader like Edward, except it only worked on her.

Anna woke up her brother as they pulled up to a friendly-looking house. This was the first time she'd been to Seth's house, but she didn't pay much attention to it yet as he showed them around. They went right to bed after that, and Anna fell asleep with a smile, thinking in wonder of her amazing new family and the return of her old one.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

Seth got back from his night patrolling just before dawn. He was a little tired, but pulling all-nighters was nothing he wasn't used to. He slipped in his front door, shutting it quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone up, but was surprised to find Anna already up when he turned around.

"Are you okay? Did you have nightmares again?" He ask her worriedly.

She shook her head from where she sat in an armchair. "No, I slept fine. I just...don't need as much sleep as I used to. It must be part of the vampire in me," she smiled softly.

Seth went to sit down next to her, and she slightly leaned into his arm, making him inwardly grin to himself. "When do you think Nick will wake up?" He asked.

Anna laughed. "Nick will sleep like a rock until noon if he can, no matter how loud it is. And I should know, I once snuck into his room and turned his electric guitar on full power and strummed it next to his head. The only response I got from him was rolling over!" She couldn't say any more because of her giggles, and Seth laughed with her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have much to eat here. I thought we'd go over to Sam and Emily's after he wakes up." Seth said.

Anna looked up at him, confused. "Then what do you eat on a regular basis?"

Seth shrugged. "I don't usually eat here. I always go and eat with other members of the pack, or at the Cullens'. Plus I can't cook."

Anna leaned away from him. "You can't cook? Everyone can cook! It's just a matter of how well you can cook." She suddenly got excited about something. She stood up and started pulling on Seth's arm with her vampiric strength until he got up and followed her to the kitchen.

"What are we doing?" He asked, amused.

Anna pointed a finger at him. "You, Seth, are going to cook with me."

It wasn't even a suggestion. It was more like an order, and Seth followed it with a smile on his face and watched as Anna looked through all the cupboards. He followed her direction, getting out dishes and what ingredients he had in the cupboards.

He didn't even pay attention to what they were making. Instead he just did what Anna told him to and thought about all the ways in which she was amazing. They way she moved gracefully around the kitchen, how she had a dimple on her right cheek whenever she smiled. The way her brows came together when she was thinking about something. There was also the way she acted childish. This girl had been through a hell of a lot, and yet when Seth teased her about dumping flour on herself, she was playful enough to dump some on him.

After half an hour and a lot of laughter, squealing, protesting, and chasing each other around the kitchen, the counter, table, and floor were covered in flour.

When they called a truce, Anna went back to baking while Seth started cleaning. He didn't know what he would do without this girl. Before he met her, he was content with his life, patrolling the border, hanging out with his pack and with the Cullens. He had a part time job at a garage with Jake that was flexible with his wolf schedule. He'd waited for his imprint to come, but he wasn't going to seek her out.

But now...what all his packmates had said about imprinting was right. And yet, the feeling couldn't be put into words. When she was happy, he was happy. When she was sad, he would do whatever it took to bring that smile on her face again. His world was complete with her at his side, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Seth was just finished with the counter and was washing his rag out when Anna pulled a tray out of the oven and set it on the table, and Seth stared at its contents.

"Cookies?" He finally asked incredulously. "For breakfast?"

Anna blushed, a rosy hue coming to her pale cheeks. "What? It's the only recipe I know by heart."

Seth burst out laughing, and Anna smiled. They ate a couple and Seth complimented on how good they tasted, and Anna insisted it was because it was her grandmothers recipe. By then it was a few hours past when they had started, and Anna left to wake up her twin brother so that they could start the day.

Anna had to forcibly yank him out of bed onto the floor to get him to get up, and if she wasn't half-vampire, she wouldn't have been able to do it. Several minutes later, Nick groggily made his way to the kitchen and ate about five cookies before they brought the rest with them.

They drove to Sam and Emily's house, where most of the pack members already were, anxious to meet Nick. Seth gave Nick some pointers on staying calm on the way. When they arrived, Anna was ambushed by a pale blur with long bronze ringlets flowing down her back. She almost fell over as Nessie engulfed her in a huge hug. Anna introduced her brother to her best friend, and they went inside, greeting everyone.

The pack was warm to Nick, and soon he was laughing and joking with all of them. Anna offered her cookies to Emily and apologized for there not being more, and they joked about how much the boys eat.

Jake suggested that Quil take Nick with him on patrol, and pretty soon Ben came in from his turn. He welcomed Nick to the pack, and then a feminine voice rose above all the others.

"Alright, where's the newbie?" Joanna said.

She'd just come in from patrol with Ben, barefoot as usual, and was eager to meet the newest pack member that Seth told them about. Nick turned to meet her, and he was suddenly lost.

She had russet skin, a muscular frame, with her dark hair cut short that swirled around her ears. Her face was slightly angular, her nose was small and rounded, and her eyebrows arched elegantly.

But what held Nick was her eyes, these chocolate brown orbs that shone like gems.

Everyone had fallen silent, watching the two of them, and Anna looked between Nick and Joanna, curious about the looks of amazement and confusion on both faces. She looked to Emily for an explanation.

"They've just imprinted on each other," she whispered to Anna.

"You mean the soulmate thing?" Anna asked.

Emily nodded her head. "Did Seth tell you about that?"

"Yes."

"Did he tell you anything other than what it is?"

Anna didn't know what else there was Seth would have said about it, so she shook her head. Emily gave her a knowing smile and ignored Anna questioning gaze. She turned the subject back to what was going on.

"As far as we know, Leah's never imprinted, and she and Joanna are the only female wolves in history. This is a first for everyone, and no one even knew if the girls _could_ imprint." Emily said.

Their quiet conversation broke the trance that had come between the two of them, and Nick didn't look like he had any clue as to what just happened. Quil, grinning, grabbed Nick's shoulder and led him out the door, to go patrol and tell him about what he just did. Joanna stayed rooted to her spot for a while before finally running out the door, following where Quil and Nick had gone.

**AN: The author's note is at the bottom rather than the top to avoid spoilers and stuff. Anyway, I was going to do a separate story for Nick and Joanna, but couldn't come up with enough ideas to make it more than a oneshot, so I decided to add their story in with Seth and Anna's story. Also, I realized there was a lack of interaction between Seth and Anna, so I added a little...what do you guys call it? Fluff? **

**I still love reading your reviews!  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

Trees flashed by Anna's vision, low-lying twigs and leaves slapping her face as she ran beneath them, yet not leaving a scratch on her hardened skin. The foliage rustled as she passed through, her legs carrying her at high speed.

This was very familiar to Anna, much like a couple weeks ago when she had been running away from Alexander, before she knew what she was. But a lot had changed in those couple of weeks.

"Oh no you don't!" She yelled as she saw a blur of black fur pass her some ten yards to her left. She pushed her legs harder and caught up with the black wolf. They were evenly matched and stayed together, stride for stride. She was going to be hard-pressed if she wanted to beat her twin and win the race.

It had been several days since they had gotten back to Forks, and Alice said that she saw Thanksgiving decorations connected to her vision of the Volturi arriving. Thanksgiving was three days away. Three days to spend with her loved ones until the Volturi came to decide her fate.

Of course, they might come early, or late, but they knew the rough timeline of when they'd be coming.

Anna formed a plan in her mind, and she slowed down. Nick unconsciously slowed down too, suspecting something from her, looking for where she'd disappeared to. She suddenly sailed over his head and landed in front of him, continuing her run without breaking stride. Nick berated himself for losing focus and falling behind, and ran faster.

The clearing that was to be their finish line was up ahead, and they could both see it through the trees. Anna was feeling confident. Her little trick had gained her about fifteen feet, and she was sure she could hold that until they reached the edge of the trees. However, her hope sank as Nick dashed ahead of her in a burst of speed and entered the clearing before she did.

She slid to a stop, looking at her brother in dismay as he turned towards her. Anna couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him as he jogged away from her and back towards the trees. He tossed his head as if laughing, then disappeared from sight.

Anna sat down on the grass with a huff of air passing through her, panting slightly from the run. Nick reappeared a minute later, shirtless and wearing a pair of khakis. He walked over to her and sat down by her side. He didn't even look winded.

"You're slow," he teased. Anna pushed him, and he had to hold his arms out to prevent himself from falling over.

"Hey, I'm only half vampire, remember."

Nick grinned. "Well, the upside is that I can say with complete honesty that my sister's a dhampir."

"A what?"

"You know, half vampire, half human..." Nick said like it was obvious.

Anna sighed, exasperated. "You watch too many supernatural shows, Nick."

"I know." He was acting a little cocky from his victory.

Anna smiled inwardly, knowing how to fix that. She concentrated on her thoughts and emotions, then focused them towards Nick, getting satisfaction as he pulled away from her, looking uncomfortable. Even if she wasn't thinking about any particular thing, just her ability was enough to unnerve him.

"You know I don't like it when you do that," he mumbled.

Anna laughed. "I know," she said in the same cocky voice he had just a minute ago.

She'd been practicing with her power, and was able to direct her thoughts and emotions at either just one person, or multiple people. It came in handy if she wanted just one person to know how she felt about something amidst a room full of people. Nick had been learning how to control his phasing, and was getting better at it, even though he had a few accidents that included him wolfing up and tearing whatever clothes he was wearing at the time. He'd also been spending a lot of time with Joanna since they imprinted on each other, even though for the time being they'd decided to just be friends.

Anna heard noises from the forest a few minutes later, then Quil came running up to them, like he'd just phased, a look of worry on his face. Nick jumped to his feet, Anna right behind him.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"Alice had another vision. She needs everyone right now." Quil explained.

Anna hurried into the forest, two giant wolves catching up to her a minute later. They ran in silence until they reached the Cullen house, all of the Cullens and the rest of the wolves were already there.

Anna looked to Alice to confirm her fears, closing her eyes as she heard the dreaded words.

"The Volturi are coming early. They'll be here in twenty minutes."

Anna felt warm arms fold around her, and she leaned into them gratefully before opening her eyes again, smelling Seth's distinctive musk. Everyone was watching her with concern, Seth standing over her protectively. Nick however, was tense, a look of anger on his face, and his body was shaking slightly.

She quickly focused her thoughts on him again, trying to remain calm, and he stopped shaking. It wouldn't do to have a gigantic wolf appear in the middle of the Cullens' living room. Nick stared at Anna incredulously.

"How can you be calm at a time like this?" He asked her.

Anna looked down. "I'm not calm, Nick. I'm worried, and I'm scared too. I don't want them to hurt any of you for trying to protect me..."

"You can show us how you feel about the situation all you want, but what about what we feel? What do you think it will be like for us if they take you away, or kill you?" Nick was still mad, but he managed to have enough control to stay human.

Seth stiffened next to her, upset by Nick's words, and Anna avoided everyone's gaze.

Carlisle spoke up. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

But even he could tell that no one was as hopeful as they'd been last time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, all rights and such go to Stephanie Meyer. **

A sense of foreboding overcame Anna as she stared across the bleak meadow, where she'd been told the Volturi had met the Cullens before. They would be here any minute now, but she felt comforted with her friends standing by her. Nessie held Anna's hand, while her family stood with them. The six wolves were there, with Jake standing at Nessie's side, and Seth by Anna's.

Everyone was on the alert, and Nessie squeezed Anna's hand as, with barely a rustle of the underbrush, eight dark hooded figures stepped out from the treeline to their left. They approached the wolves and the Cullens silently, seeming to glide across the dry grass, stopping a mere ten feet away from them.

There was one in the middle, who looked like their leader, and flanking him looked like two children who could have been twins. Anna had been warned about them, and knew not to underestimate them. There was a very large man who rivaled Emmet in size, and probably strength as well.

Her observation of the group of vampires in front of her was halted when her eyes met the face that still haunted her nightmares. Alexander. He was smirking at her as his stunning bright red eyes bore into Anna's violet ones.

"Carlisle," said the leader. "It would seem that, yet again, you find yourself in the company of someone of interest to me."

His long hair was as black as the depths of the midnight sky, darker even than Anna's. His skin was the palest she's seen in a vampire, a white so pure it was almost translucent. His eyes were red as one who drank the blood of humans, but they were almost glazed over, a contrast to the bright eyes that belonged to Alexander, and they carried an unsettling look about them.

"Aro." Carlisle nodded towards the leader.

"Carlisle." Aro responded. "Where is the girl we have been told so much about?" His eyes searched them, until he found Anna. He stepped forward, holding his hands out expectantly.

Anna let go of Nessie's hand and walked up to him, having already been told of what he'd want. A few growls sounded behind her as she placed her hand in his, but she ignored them and they quieted. She almost shuddered, feeling Aro's presence in her mind as he sifted through it. He withdrew, and Anna stepped away from him. Aro stared at her, a sudden fascination on his face.

"Intriguing. Very intriguing." He whispered softly. "Indeed, this girl was not born this way, as were the others we've known about, but instead was bitten. She truly was dying as the venom spread through her body." Something about his tone stated that he hadn't believed Alexander, even after using his tactile telepathy. "I think that I would like to take you back to Volterra with us."

"We do not wish for any conflict. This girl simply wishes to be left in peace." Carlisle said.

"We have left you in peace many times before. This time, we will take what we want." The child girl said. Something about her spoke of a great age, greater even than many of the Cullens, despite her youthful face.

"Jane," Aro scolded the girl, and she withdrew. "Jane has always been very...straight-forward, yet I'm afraid her point remains. We have left you and your family to your own devices in the past, especially when it came to the other half-breed. Must you continue to take advantage of our hospitality?"

"What happens if I go with you?" Anna asked.

"Then you will come stay with us at our home. Once we have been assured that you are not a threat, you will be free to go wherever you will."

"And what if she doesn't?" Nessie called.

Aro sighed. "That remains to be seen." He said simply.

Anna turned to the others. They were all looking at her, waiting to see what she would say. Nick was standing rigid, his lips parted in a snarl, showing his large pointed teeth. Jake growled slightly at him, and he backed down under the gaze of his alpha, turning worriedly to his sister.

"You don't have to go, Anna." Edward said to her.

"And if I don't? They could just keep coming back for me. If I go now and let them know that I'm not a threat, it'll all be behind us." Anna explained.

Seth whimpered slightly next to Anna.

She turned to comfort him. "Don't worry about me. I don't think they're going to hurt me, and as soon as they let me go..." Anna paused, not knowing what to say. "I'll come find you."

She went to join the Volturi, but found a large black wolf blocking her way. Nick glared at her, obviously trying to be protective and not let her go. She was reminded of what he said earlier that day, about what would happen to them if she got hurt. It might seem risky, her going with the Volturi, but she genuinely that there was more to them than that. After all, there was more to the Cullens, wasn't there?

Anna looked at Nick with determination on her face. "You don't have to look after me anymore Nick. You're the best brother I could ever hope for, but I can look after myself now."

Nick's expression softened. He seemed to be in debate, glancing from the Volturi to Anna, and finally he sagged. He nudged her with his nose, and Anna could almost hear him whisper "be careful," before stepping away.

Anna took a deep breath and walked over to the Volturi, and Aro's almost friendly smile. Alexander moved to grab Anna, but Seth growled loudly at this, and Anna sidestepped him. He glared at the wolves, before following the Volturi out of the meadow.

Anna glanced once more at the family she'd come to know, and somehow she was sure that this wasn't the last time she would see them.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Thank you again, everyone who's been keeping up with this. We are approaching the end, and man am I gonna be relieved when I've actually finished a writing project. Don't worry though, we've still got quite a few more chapters to go. I still love hearing your thoughts and getting you reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.  
**

The Volturi weren't harsh to Anna, but neither were they nice to her. She learned the names of some of them, and had an idea as to who was more cruel and wasn't. She greatly enjoyed Italy, even though she hadn't expressed any wishes to travel anywhere since her childhood. It was very beautiful there, with colorful buildings, numerous restaurants with the smells of exotic foods reaching Anna's nose, everything combining to make her feel as if she was in a city that was as ancient as time itself and continued to flourish where all other cities of its time crumbled.

The Volterra square looked like it might belong in medieval times, like a courtyard of a great castle. The inside of the Volturi dwelling place was no less magnificent, with marble giving the interior the same aged look, even if it was all spotless as bereft of cracks. Great pillars also stood lined up here and there.

Anna was left to herself for the first couple of days, and she saw many other Volturi members frequently, including the other leaders, Marcus and Caius. Caius came off as a very strong person, not physically, but simply a few words from him would leave you with an impression of how intense his personality was. Marcus, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about anything.

Felix had take a liking to Anna, and was constantly winking at her from across the room, or saying random things at odd times that made no sense to her. Demetri was quiet and withdrawn, not saying more than a few words to Anna, and all Jane did was glare at her. Anna got the impression that she did that to everyone, however. Her twin Alec, on the other hand, was almost a tease, especially to Jane.

On her second day in Volterra, she noticed everyone from the coven gradually migrating to the main room, where they had most of their business. She followed, curious, and Aro beckoned her over to him. Everyone looked like they were waiting for something, their eyes darker than usual in anticipation. Anna looked into Aro's almost black eyes.

"We have guests coming in a minute," he explained to her before she could ask, an eager note in his voice. Anna got the sense there was more to this than that, and then she heard voices.

It was Heidi, a vampire that Anna had rarely seen and never spoken to. Anna heard many footsteps, Heidi at the lead, and she was talking to them, telling them about...the walls? That's what it sounded like. She told them about the history of the building as her voice came closer, like she was giving them a tour.

A sudden dread rooted itself into Anna's stomach.

"If you're hungry, feel free to grab anyone you like." Aro told her.

She covered her face in her hands. It was too late to leave before she was trapped in a room full of frenzied vampires. Heidi lead the people in the room, then closed the large doors behind the group in a swift, fluid movement.. They barely had time to question this before the hooded figures jumped out at them.

Anna turned in fright at the wall, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to block out the screams of terror that quickly turned to agony, not even knowing when her screams joined theirs. She could smell the blood, and the burn in her throat started, the one that urged her to join them in the feast, but it wasn't near as strong as her horror and disgust. She didn't know how this went on before the screams stopped, but they echoed in her head, and she didn't move, crouching by the wall.

She jumped and screamed in surprise as she felt an icy cold hand on her shoulder, and she turned to Aro. As soon as she looked at him, the screams in her head stopped, and she realized the meal was over. She didn't know how long it took, but it felt like hours. Glancing around the room, there was nothing to suggest what had just happened, other than the red-eyed vampires leaving the room.

Aro didn't offer any words of comfort or apology, he simply helped her stand and beckoned to Heidi, who was approaching them with a elegant-looking cup in her hand.

"If we are to be assured that are aren't a threat, we must know what you are capable of when you are at your strongest."

Anna wasn't sure what he was talking about, but then it clicked in her mind. Heidi handed the goblet to Aro and left, and Aro offered it to Anna. She didn't need to see the crimson, almost black liquid inside to know what it was. She closed her eyes and turned away.

"No? Well, that's a shame. Demetri," Aro summoned Demetri over.

Anna didn't have time to react before Demetri had a hold of her, holding the cup to her lips. She tried to fight him, but he was too strong for her, and the warm liquid washed into her mouth, running hotly down her throat and dripping out of her mouth.

She would have been lying if she said the blood wasn't one of the best things she'd ever drank, but she wouldn't have been lying if she said she didn't enjoy it. After he'd forced her to drink the blood, Demetri kept a hold of Anna, but now when she struggled, he had to work a little harder to hold on to her.

"Interesting..." Aro whispered, the look of fascination on his face again. Anna hated it when he looked at her like that. "It would appear that blood does indeed make her stronger...even if she doesn't want it."

Anna was released, and she scrambled away from the two of them, the blood lingering in her mouth. Aro waved her away dismissively before calling Felix to keep an eye on her, before turning to other matters at hand. Anna scowled at them all then left to try to wash her face and mouth free of the blood, and her mind of the experience, trying to ignore the reflection of her eyes, which were more red now than purple.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: I have not abandoned you! I am visiting and will be rather busy for a while, but I can continue writing and updating from here hopefully. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight.  
**

Once again she was ignored by most of the Volturi except Felix and occasionally Demetri, who would watch her and make sure she didn't get into any trouble. Anna finally realized that Felix was hitting on her, and she felt slow for not picking up on it earlier. She did her best to ignore him, but when he wasn't making his witty remarks towards her, he was staring at her like she was something to eat. Even though she knew she was safe from them, having a vampire staring at her like that unnerved her.

She was wandering the halls of the building like she usually did to pass the time, when she heard a lot of loud banging sounds that echoed. Cautiously approaching, Anna saw a pair of doors in smithereens on the ground, the stone walls surrounding the now-empty doorway were cracked and had chunks missing from them from the same force that had taken out the doors.

Anna peeked inside and found Aro sitting in his throne, as calm as ever, with Jane standing before him, infuriated. Anna never learned why as Jane turned to stalk away, and her blood red eyes fell on Anna, who shrunk away from the baleful gaze.

"Why is she even here? She's of no use to us, so let us end her and be done with her!" Jane shrieked, glad to have someone else to vent her fury on.

Before Anna could say, or even think anything, her body was on fire. It was like she could feel flames surrounding her, burning her skin and her flesh, and she couldn't even think about how or why. She fell on the ground, writhing and screaming, but the pain was so intense she couldn't even hear herself.

"You don't want to do that..." Aro warned Jane, but she didn't listen. She just watched in glee as she tortured Anna relentlessly.

Anna couldn't take it anymore. If she was going to die, she wished she could just do it and end the pain. It consumed her, and so she released it. She couldn't make the pain stop, and if she'd been thinking clearly, she might not have wanted to use her gift to enforce it upon others, but she couldn't take it anymore. She barely registered it as another feminine, child-like voice joined her screams.

Jane had felt this fire before, hundreds of years ago as she had burned at the stake with her twin before they were turned. As she burned, she had focused on the pain, and she wanted only to bring the same pain to those who brought it to her, and once she was changed into a vampire, she got her wish. Her gift was powerful, and it made people respect her. It made people fear her. It gave her an edge over her enemies and also over her allies. And now it was being used against her.

She held on for as long as she could, trying to punish the girl that shared her pain with Jane, but that only made it worse, and she had to release her hold on Anna, ending her own pain. She had been driven to the floor as well.

"I did warn you..." that whisper enraged Jane almost as much as Anna did, and she shot a glance as the speaker, seething. Aro didn't even flinch, and Jane stormed off.

Anna laid on the ground for a moment longer before getting up. She looked at Aro, who didn't seem inclined to do so much as inquire about her welfare. She turned and left as well, thinking about her friends, wishing just to get out of Volterra and find them again.

She remembered thinking before that she had nothing to live for anymore, just a family she couldn't see and a group of strangers that had found her in the forest. But now, how that had changed. She had Nick back, she could go see her parents when this was over. Those strangers were now close friends who cared for her, worried about her, and Anna cared for them as well. She thought about each of them, and her thoughts lingered on Seth. He was so kind to her, and he made her feel happier than anyone else could. She didn't know how he did that, and she felt like there was something she should have pieced together by now, but she couldn't think of it.

Anna wondered if the Volturi would stop her if she tried to leave. She wouldn't know unless she tried, but when she really thought about leaving, a small part of her didn't want to go. That small part didn't have any reason to want to leave, and actually wanted to stay. She had no idea why, but that small part could easily be silenced.

She came to a decision. If the Volturi wouldn't let her go soon, Anna would leave on her own.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: We're up to chapter 20! Yay! For some reason, this chapter was hard to write. It was like I was struggling with writers block or something, except I'm not sure that's what it was. Anyway, just a little something to show people what's going on back in Washington and stuff. I imagine the next few chapters should be fairly easy to write, but you never know when life is going to decide it's not going to let you write :)**

**Disclaimer: (yep, still keeping these up) I do not own Twilight.  
**

Four days. It had been four days since they took her away. Four days since he'd seen her smile, heard the soft sound of her voice. And he'd almost counted every minute of it.

_Woah Seth, watch out! _

Ben's voice snapped his attention back and he narrowly dodged a tree, jumping over a fallen log. The two of them were running patrol, and Seth's thoughts, as usual, were with Anna.

_Sorry. I guess I was just a little...preoccupied. _Seth apologized.

_I can tell, man. Trust me, you're not making patrol any easier, _Ben said.

Seth felt bad for that. He hadn't been the best company lately.

_I just can't stop thinking about her. What if they're hurting her? What if they've locked her up?_

_Can we _not _talk about your imprint for once? _Ben asked.

That might be a little easier if Seth could stop thinking about her, but then again, a distraction would be nice. He thought instead of Nick, and how he was doing in the pack, and how he was getting along with Joanna.

At that, Seth felt a reaction in Ben's thoughts. He and Joanna had been fairly close, and they almost always ran patrols together. They hadn't held any romantic thoughts towards each other or anything, and that's not what Ben felt now...he just missed his usual patrolling partner.

Ben was a good guy. He wasn't as open as the other pack members, and neither was he as cheerful. However, he was very loyal to the pack, and he looked out for them. He hadn't been very warm to Anna at first, but he was just looking out for Seth, and Seth understood that.

They continued to run, each with his thoughts to himself, until their turns for patrol were over. Ben went ahead and phased back, and Seth's mind was alone for the next few minutes until he felt Nick and Joanna both phase, ready to take over.

_Hey Seth, you still here? _Joanna asked him, somewhat surprised.

_Yeah..._Seth thought about Anna again. He couldn't help himself. No matter what everyone else said, he was still worried about her. Nick's own worried thoughts joined Seth's, and Joanna was slightly uncomfortable.

Seth's direction changed until he found himself at the cliffs. He had no intention of going home, but didn't care to have anyone else in his head right now and didn't want to bother them with his own gloomy thoughts, so he phased and put his pants on. It was quiet up here, with just the sounds of the ocean crashing onto the rocks below him, and he just watched the ocean, always moving, but always the same.

It was just Nick and Joanna running patrol together now. Nick was still thinking about his twin, and Joanna had spent the past four days trying to comfort the two of them, but by now, she didn't know what to do, or what else to say. Nick noticed how she felt and he tried to cheer up.

_I really appreciate it,_ he said. _What you've done for me, with Anna gone and all._

_You'd do the same for me, if it was my brother,_ Joanna replied.

Nick internally smiled. Yes he would. He would do anything for her. He noticed that she was acting different than she used to around him. _Why is that? _He asked her.

She was quiet for a minute, thinking about other things. There was something that she wasn't sure she wanted him to know, but she finally caved and opened up to her imprint.

_At first, when we imprinted on each other...I didn't feel like I was ready for it. _She said. _I never expected to imprint on anyone, or have anyone imprint on me. I was just going about my life, and then you showed up out of nowhere, you know? And it...caught me off guard I guess. I didn't really want to be tied to anyone, not yet at least. After I've seen how everyone else feels about their imprints, how they can't stand to be away from them, I didn't want that. I didn't want to want somebody just because they're my imprint. There's still so many things that I want to do in my life, and I thought that having an imprint would only...hinder that, I guess._

Nick couldn't help but feel a little hurt by that, but Joanna wasn't done talking.

_But I really like you, Nick, _she continued. _Even without the imprint, we would have found each other eventually. And...all those things that I want to do, to experience, I still want that. The only thing that has changed is that I want to do them with you. I thought that imprint meant lover, but I'm not sure that either of us is entirely ready for that. I see now that imprint doesn't always have to mean the same thing._

This made Nick feel infinitely better. His imprint liked him, and that made him happy enough to momentarily dispel his worry for his sister.

_And with the other guys and their imprints, as long as their imprint is happy, they're happy. But that's not how I want this to be. I want to know what you want, Nick. _Joanna seemed determined to speak her mind before letting Nick get even a word in, but finally, she was done. She was waiting for a response from him.

Nick opened his own mind to her. _I was going to say the same thing, _he said. _I'm still trying to fathom all of this supernatural stuff, and I barely even knew what imprinting was when I met you. I do just want you to be happy, and I do want to be with you all the time, but I also want to get to know you first._

Joanna was happy to hear this. She had been afraid of many things when it concerned Nick, but he had just soothed those fears as if they never existed.

_Imprinting sure is a strange thing, _Nick commented. _It's like...the world is more complete with you around. I was just an average teenager before I met you, just looking for a good time. But it's like there's a purpose in life now. Is that what imprinting is like for you? When I patrol with anyone else, I find them thinking about how weird it is for you to have imprinted, because they didn't think that girls even could, or something like that._

Joanna mentally giggled. _Well, it is different. At least I think it is, I mean it's not like I have personal experience of being a guy and imprinting on someone, but their descriptions of not being attached to anything except for the imprint isn't exactly true in my case. It's more like...I've been swept off my feet or something. I don't know...imprinting has never been easy for anyone to describe._

Their talk turned to other things as they continued patrolling.


	21. Chapter 21

******AN: These chapters aren't turning out as long as I expect them to, but oh well. Share your thoughts with me, your predictions, your advice, I love it all!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

The dwelling place of the Volturi was initially grand and exciting, but the more time Anna spent there, the more bland and boring it became. There was nothing to do, and they wouldn't let her leave. The few days that she spent there felt like weeks, and the feeling was almost enhanced by how much she missed her friends and brother.

She wanted to leave, but wasn't ready to go to the drastic measures of escaping yet. She wouldn't do that until they really were imprisoning her. Right now, she wasn't sure they were doing it on purpose. It was more like...they simply forgot about her for the time being. Anna guessed that was a good thing, because that meant that they didn't consider her as important as other matters, and were less likely to keep her longer than necessary. Anna wasn't much of a take-charge kind of person, and she wasn't that reckless. She would take action if she had to, but she wanted to avoid it if she could.

A stray thought crossed Anna's mind. Why not stay with the Volturi? She quickly dismissed that thought, however. She didn't care for it here. She could respect the Volturi for keeping the vampire race in control, for keeping their existence secret from humans, but that's as far as it went. She would speak with Aro, and base whatever she did next on what he said.

Anna was saved from having to find him as Demetri stalked up to her.

"You are summoned," he said curtly, then without another word, escorted Anna to the main chamber where the heads of the Volturi waited for her.

Marcus was indifferent, as usual, and even Caius looked bored, but Aro smiled sweetly at her as she approached. There were a few other vampires in the room, but Anna ignored them. That is, until she saw _him._ She couldn't contain a hiss as she glared at Alexander, and he smirked back at her.

"Anna, darling." Aro said.

Internally, Anna scoffed. Flattery and kindness from Aro wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked, maybe a little sharply. She wasn't in the best of moods today.

He looked at her from his seat, like a parent would look at their child whose anger was misdirected. "We are letting you go." He said simply.

Anna's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that.

Caius spoke up. "You are of no use to us, and neither are you a threat. Let us get on with this."

"So...I'm free now?" Anna was confused.

Aro nodded. "Yes. We only kept you here to ensure that you wouldn't harm our kind, or more likely, expose us. There is no reason for you to stay...unless, of course, you would like to. A gift like yours could prove useful, if you decided to stay with us." He had a glint in his eye, like he had a secret asset and was using it to his advantage. It disturbed Anna.

The question came back to her before she could refuse Aro's offer. Why _not_ stay with the Volturi? She would be well protected here, and she felt a strange sense of...loyalty to them. It wasn't very strong, but it was there.

Then she noticed one of the vampires in the background staring intently at her. Her face was slightly hidden from the hood of her dark cloak, but Anna had seen her at least once before. Aro seemed to trust her more than he did even Marcus and Caius. He had called her...Chelsea.

Anna thought hard, trying to remember what the Cullens had told her about all the Volturi members before they took her away. Chelsea was...the relationship manipulator. She could cause certain feelings in people, and take away others. Was she trying to take away Anna's feelings for her friends? Her brother? For Seth?

"She won't stay. Her feelings for the wolf are too strong, even if she herself doesn't realize it." Marcus said.

Anna nodded, wondering how he knew he answer before remembering his gift. "I decline your offer. I would like to leave now." She tried to sound as formal as she could.

Aro sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was disappointed, but he wasn't going to force her to stay. "Very well." He said. "But if you change your mind..." he trailed off.

Anna felt a wave of relief wash over her. She could go now. It was over. But when Alexander stepped up, she felt dread again. What did _he _want? He, however, was not speaking to her.

"If I may," he said to Aro. "I created her. You could say I am...responsible for her. She belongs to me."

"What is your point?" Caius asked.

"My point is, I would like to have her come with me. I can teach her the laws of our kind, and she...can be with me forever."

Alexander's gaze was filled with lust, and Anna was disgusted. She was repulsed that he considered her his property. But above all, she was terrified. He was going to take her with him, and she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. It was a wonder she had evaded him the first time he went after her. She couldn't move, not only because of her own numbness, but Felix's hand restrained her from leaving. The only thing she could do was the plead silently with Aro.

Aro nodded his consent to Alexander. "But don't expect her to go easily."

"Oh, I won't."

In a flash he was by Anna's side, stroking her cheek and smoothing her hair. Felix relinquished her only for Alexander to grab her arm in his icy, iron grip. He led her away from the Volturi, and she couldn't pry his hand off her arm. She couldn't struggle. He had her this time.

But this time...she would do whatever it took to get away from him. She would fight. She would run. But she wouldn't let the fear consume her this time. She wouldn't give up. Because this time...this time she had a future to look forward to. A family to go home to. And Alexander was _not_ going to keep her from them for long.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight.**

Something was wrong. He didn't know what, but he could feel it. With this feeling, on top of his never-ending worry for Anna, Seth was pretty miserable these days, and not even Jasper could do much. Still, it was better than nothing, so he was lounging around with the Cullens.

It was just Jasper, Alice, and Nessie there today, as everyone else was out hunting. Edward had been recently, but Seth figured he had gotten tired of listening to Seth's inner monologue that he went with anyway. Even the pack avoided him these days. Not that Seth could blame them.

Alice was currently looking through magazines and trying to get Nessie into them, who was now at the point of ignoring her aunt and listening to music on her ipod, while Jasper read a book, and Seth attempted to fit the contents of the kitchen into his stomach.

"You better save some for Jake when he gets back," Nessie warned him.

Seth nodded and slowed down his eating. She glanced worriedly at Seth, missing his happy attitude. If Anna didn't come back fast, Nessie worried that Seth might never go back to being the way he was. She started thinking about going to Volterra after her friend. She wasn't the first the consider it, but Anna had not wished for them to go after her, for fear of getting on the Volturi's bad side again.

Ideas went through Nessie's head. If they still wouldn't go after Anna, she could sneak out with Seth and apologize to them later. She didn't know what they would do when they did get to Italy, and she knew it was unwise to go without a plan, but she hated seeing Seth like this. Seth was one of her best friends. Her plan might not be a sound one, but she could at least try to convince the others to go. She didn't even know how she let Anna go in the first place. As soon as she thought that, however, she knew why.

Because Anna had wanted it.

Anna was scared of the Volturi, Nessie knew that. She would have stayed if she could have, and perhaps given more time, the Cullens could convince the Volturi to let it go like they had last time. The Volturi weren't supposed to be the bad guys, and Anna understood that. But perhaps it was because she was scared that Anna went with them. Nessie thought back to when she had first met Anna. She had been a wreck. Her fear controlled her. But now...Anna had grown a lot since then, but the fear was still heavy on her.

She couldn't go back to a happy life, and she couldn't move forward with Seth until she could overcome that fear. And she thought the only way she could do it was go with the Volturi. The pack and the Cullens had helped her so far, and she was probably missing Seth as much as he missed her, but Anna had to do this alone. If she could overcome this, she could come home and be happy. Finally, Nessie understood.

Alice went still and her eyes glazed over, and everyone recognized the signs for a vision. Nessie sat up, pulling her earphones out, and Jasper watched her patiently. Seth got his hopes up, as he did every time Alice had a vision, hoping that she would see something that would tell him what was going on with Anna. Alice came out of it, looking confused.

"I can see the Volturi clearly," she said, looking across the room at Seth.

"What does that mean?" Seth asked.

"It means Anna isn't there anymore, right? Because you can't see hybrids, so your vision of the Volturi has been blurry ever since Anna got there." Nessie stood up, getting excited.

Alice nodded, and she turned to Seth. Strangely, the news didn't comfort him. Suddenly, he understood his mood.

"Isn't that good news?" Nessie was confused by the look on Seth's face.

"No...something's wrong." He looked worried.

"How do you know?" Jasper asked.

"Remember that time Claire fell out of the tree and broke her arm? Quil was miles away, and he still knew she was hurt even though no one had told him yet. And that time Kim was being chased by that stalker guy? Jared knew that something was wrong and he went to check on her." Seth explained.

Jasper nodded. "It must be the imprint," he theorized.

"And you have this feeling now?" Nessie asked, now just as worried as Seth.

"Phone call in two minutes," Alice said suddenly. "Seth, it's for you."

Bewildered, he reached in his pocket for his phone, but it wasn't there. He found it on the counter on the other side of the kitchen, and he realized that must have been how Alice saw it, since she couldn't see any of the wolves in her visions. It rang, and he answered it, Alice and Nessie coming closer so they could listen.

"Hello?" He asked into the phone.

It was silent for a moment, and then a shaky voice spoke. "_...Seth?_"

"Anna? Are you okay? What's going on?"

"_Listen, I don't know how long I can talk. I can't get away from him for more than a few minutes, but he'll come find me again."_

"Who?" Seth almost shouted into the phone. Someone was after his imprint, and he wasn't about to let them get away with it.

"_Alexander._" Anna replied. "_The Volturi let me go, but he convinced them to let him take me. He thinks I belong to him, Seth, and I can't get away from him like last time!_" She was on the verge of tears.

Seth tried to comfort her. "Hey, it's okay. I'm going to come and get you, and you won't have to worry about him ever again, okay? Now where are you?"

"_I'm...we came back to the States from Italy, he says he wants to go back to his territory. We're by the Oregon border, in...in Portland. He's going to want to leave when he finds out I called. Seth, I...no!_" Her voice cut off.

"Anna!" Seth called into the phone, but the call was ended. Alexander must have caught up to her. He slowly lowered the phone and realized that Jake was there, and he'd heard the whole thing. "I've got to go after her," Seth said, expecting an argument from his Alpha.

Jake held his hand up. "I know," he said simply, understanding what it was like to have an imprint. "She's in Portland, which means she's by the Oregon border by Washington. She's not that far away, Seth."

Seth was relieved that not only did Jake understand, he would help. But what else could you expect from a fellow packmate?

"It'll still take several hours to get there," Nessie protested.

He knew that, and wanted to leave as soon as possible, and hope that they'd get there in time. Jake glanced at Seth, knowing what was going on inside his head even in human form. They caught each others eyes for a brief moment, and a silent communication passed between the two, before Seth gave a slight nod and looked away. They needed to think this through a little before heading recklessly into danger. It was only one leech, but he was smart, and he had Anna.

Suddenly, Jake got an idea. "It's going to take hours for us to get there, but what about someone a lot closer?"

"You mean-?" Seth knew who Jake was talking about, and it wasn't someone he really wanted to involve in this world again. He sighed. "I'll ask."

"Okay. I'll tell the others while you call. We need some wolves to stay here to patrol the territory." Jake turned to leave.

"We're coming with," Alice said unexpectedly.

Nessie nodded her agreement.

"No," he said to Nessie.

"But she's my friend!" She protested, even knowing that she wasn't as strong or as fast as them. And Jake knew that she knew this.

"You trust us to bring her back, right?" He asked, bringing her close. Nessie sighed, but nodded, and Jake leaned down and kissed her. He then turned to Alice and Jasper. "We got it covered, it's only one bloodsucker."

"You never know when you need backup." Jasper had a point.

"Besides, she's practically family." Alice smiled, knowing Jake would give in. He gave a short, curt nod, then left.

"I'll tell the others where you've gone when they come back. Be safe." Nessie hugged her aunt quickly before they followed after Jake. She started listening to Seth, who was talking into the phone.

"Can you still do it? Are you sure?" He was quiet for a few seconds and Nessie couldn't hear what the other person said. "Ok. Thank you." His voice was filled with relief. He closed his phone then hurried to leave.

"Be careful!" Nessie called to him, then listened to the following silence. She was worried about Anna and what Alexander would do to her, but she couldn't help but have a smug moment. Alexander messed with Anna, and now he was in deep trouble. Especially if Seth called who Nessie thought he called.

**AN: Yay, he's finally going after her! Tell me what you thought, and who you think he called at the end :) I love your guys' input!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did, vampires wouldn't sparkle. Seriously, I can come up with so many jokes about that.**

His grip was like ice on her arm, biting into even her hardened skin. Alexander was being especially harsh and rough to Anna ever since she escaped from him. It wasn't for very long, but it was long enough. She didn't know how she had gotten away from him when he had first changed her, but failed at all her attempts now. He was shocked when she turned though, and hadn't been expecting anything that happened then. This time, he was prepared for whatever she threw at him.

But she did get away. She had found a phone and called Seth. He would tell the others and they would help, Anna was sure of that. At first, she was going to handle this on her own, but now, she wasn't sure that she could anymore. She had gotten scared, and she had called for help. Alexander was furious when he had caught up to her, the destroyed payphone proof enough of that. Now, he was dragging her through the woods at top speed, trying to put distance between them and Portland.

Why was he even taking her with him? All Anna was going to do was fight him, and still he was persistent. He was...enraptured by her. She had no idea why, but it was like she was most wonderful thing in the world to him. Other than the hunt, and blood. But he was incapable of love. He was twisted, and sick, and determined to keep her close to him, for whatever reasons he had.

Anna found herself thinking about Seth again. She had thought that he was just a friend of hers, much like the rest of the Pack and the Cullens, but now she wasn't so sure. What Marcus had said crossed her mind, about how she cared more strongly for 'the wolf' than even she realized. She didn't know which wolf he was talking about, and dismissed his comment at the time, but now she thought there was more to it.

Seth was special to Anna, in ways that she was only beginning to understand. He could make her feel safe and happy, he could bring that smile to her face when all hope seemed lost. His happy and carefree nature was unlike anyone else Anna had ever met, and she loved the gleam he had in his eye when he was with her, the way his face lit up whenever she entered the room.

She considered her feelings for him, feelings she hadn't felt about anyone before, and suddenly it made sense. She knew about imprinting, how it made the wolf and the imprintee feel. She'd seen it in action with her brother and Joanna and also saw how happy the older wolves were with their imprints. That quiet voice and hint of wonder in his tone when Seth first told her about it in the car on the way to her hometown. How protective he was of her. It made sense now.

He imprinted on her.

Despite everything, she felt comforted by that knowledge. Her heart ached for his absence, as well as the absence of Nick, and Nessie, the absence of feeling safe. A small tear escaped her eye before she was brought back to reality.

Alexander had stopped suddenly, sniffing the air, a sudden gleam in his dark eyes. He started running again, towards a scent that Anna wasn't able to identify until a moment later. Humans. He was looking to feed again.

* * *

Mark sighed, looking at the lone house. It was rather small, for just one or two people, with only one story, and the forest surrounding it made it look even smaller. One window was cracked and a few wooden boards were loose, but other than that it was in good repair, even if it wasn't as upgraded as most modern houses. The house was next to a road that wasn't used all that often, and the nearest neighbor was a mile or two away.

It had been perfect for Mark's hillbilly brother, Jerry, but now Jerry was gone. Mark hadn't been all that close to his older brother, but he still felt a pang in his chest as he stood in front of Jerry's house, a month after he had lost his battle with cancer. He hadn't had a family of his own, but he'd told Mark of his hopes to have one eventually.

Mark himself wanted a family as well, but he was more concentrated on doing good in school and graduating college. Right now, however, he was taking a leave so as to help his mother with Jerry's things. He wasn't sure what to do with the house, however. Not many people would be interested in buying one as isolated as this.

The sun had sunk beneath the treeline and stars were beginning to twinkle in the darkening sky, and he sighed again before walking up the steps to the porch. He turned the porch light on, and almost immediately it had a few insects circling it. Mark walked inside and closed the screen door and left the other open, allowing the fresh air to blow through the house, despite the slight chill.

He was planning on having someone come over to tell him how much the house was worth, and that wouldn't be until tomorrow, so he got started on straightening things out and cleaning the place a little. He had only been working on that for about five minutes when he heard voices outside. When he made his way to go see who it was, the screen door banged open and they were already inside.

There were two of them, a man that looked in his twenties, and a teenage girl. She had long black hair and pale skin, but her skin wasn't near as pale as the mans. She had a delicate face, and her eyes were an unusual purple color, and she had a fearful look on her face. Her features looked helpless, almost like she was silently begging Mark to run, yet knowing he wouldn't get away.

The man had a predatory look about him. He held a look of victory, of having power over his helpless prey. His skin was almost white, and he held a tight grip on the girls arm. Mark knew that something was wrong. The only thing that came to mind was that this man had kidnapped the girl, and he was about to stand up for the girl when he saw the strangers eyes. Those dark, crimson, soulless orbs that delved into Mark, turning his blood cold. The man slowly licked his lips, gazing at Mark in anticipation.

"Alexander, don't..." the girl pleaded.

Alexander slowly looked away from Mark to the girl. "Don't worry Anna, I won't," he reassured her, and she stared at him in surprise. Anna froze at his next words. "You will."

Suddenly she started struggling, screaming as she did so. "Never! Never, you hear me, you sick, twisted, sadistic bas-" she cries were cut off as Alexander placed his hand over her mouth and held her tighter to prevent her struggling.

Mark's moment of frozen shock passed. They weren't paying attention to him right now, maybe he could slip away silently and escape through the back...he looked at the girl, a prisoner to this mans wicked will. Would he leave her behind to endure this monsters torture?

Just as he was thinking this, Alexander was standing right in front of him, having moved impossibly fast. Before Mark could catch up to what was happening, he was shoved into a chair, all thoughts of escape gone. Whatever Alexander was, he wasn't human.

"Don't try going anywhere," he whispered into Mark's ear.

Anna was in the clear. Alexander had let go of her to keep his prey in one spot, and she could run. The open door was right behind her. She backed towards it, fear gripping her heart, imagining a life of being held by Alexander, being used by him. She was outside now, and all she needed to do was to turn around and dash. That's what her mind and her body screamed at her to do.

But Alexander was smarter than this. Was he really that careless in his thirst, or did he want her to escape? Or did he know that she wouldn't?

Her eyes were locked on Alexander through the open door of the house, and he turned and smirked at her. He didn't make any move to stop her. One glance at the helpless man in the chair, and Anna knew why. She wouldn't leave, not while Alexander held an innocent person. Mark wanted the girl to escape, but Anna could see that deep down, he was begging her not to leave him. And even though there wasn't anything Anna could think of to free them both, she stopped going backwards. The fear had its hold on her for too long, and she wouldn't let it control her anymore. For a moment-just a moment-she felt peaceful, and the fear was gone.

Anna moved forward again, the fear inching back as she did, but it was different this time. She was scared for her life, and even more for the humans life, but it couldn't control her anymore. But it wasn't just that. _Alexander_ couldn't control her anymore. He might be stronger and faster than her, but she wouldn't be afraid anymore, and that knowledge gave her a confidence that she didn't have before. Her small steps turned to strides as she climbed the stairs, then halted a small distance away from Alexander, who watched her with that same smirk on his face.

"I knew you wouldn't leave," he said smugly. In one fluid movement, he grabbed her and shoved her over to the man, and she stumbled over his chair. Alexander watched them, pacing the other side of the room with the graceful movements of a tiger.

"Why did you come back?" The man asked Anna.

"Because...I couldn't leave you to him," she said, now feeling doubt. She should have turn and run...but then what would Seth think of her? What would she think of herself? They'll be here soon, she thought. I just have to stall for time, and make sure that both of us survive. "What your name?" she asked him.

"Mark," he replied. He was warily watching Alexander continue to stalk the room. "What is he?"

Anna hesitated before replying. "A vampire."

Mark stared at her, a look of shock and disbelief on his face. Alexander's sharp voice suddenly barked across the room.

"I am growing impatient, my sweet. You haven't fed since Italy, don't deny that his blood appeals to you."

Realization dawned in Mark, and he looked fearfully at Anna, and she looked sorrowfully back at him. "I'm not like him..." she whispered. Icy hands pulled her away from Mark and shoved her against the wall, and she found herself staring into black eyes.

"If you continue to resist me, you would not like it very much. There are other ways, ways to force you into obeying me. If you refuse to drink his blood, I would be much inclined to do so. Either way, he dies." Through his deadly calm tone, Anna could hear the hint of frustration she was causing him.

"I will..._never_ bow to your will," she said through clenched teeth, then spat in his face as an act of defiance.

Alexander's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he seethed for a moment. Out of nowhere, Anna felt his lips crushed against hers and she struggled, even biting his lip to try to get away from him, but his marble-like skin was too hard.

A howl sounded not far away, and Alexander pulled away, glaring with hatred towards the woods, knowing as well as Anna what was in there. They both watched through the open door as a shadow stalked between the trees, coming closer.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: It's been a while, I know, and I'm sorry. I'm not going to make up excuses, but...this past month or so has been rather crazy and will continue to be for a while. Babies and weddings and whatnot...anyway. One chapter left! (unless I get another idea to expand it) and maybe an epilogue. I'll try not to make you wait so long for that!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. **

The wolf froze under the trees when the leech looked her way, grayish silver fur covered in darkness. The leech knew help was coming for Anna, but the wolf had a slight advantage as she found them much earlier than they expected, not only having been closer than the others, she was also the fastest runner. She had responded immediately after getting Seth's phone call, and followed their trail from Portland.

She would do anything for her little brother.

_Leah, be careful! Don't do anything reckless_, Jake's voiced echoed in her mind, and she brushed aside his comment.

_I might not have done this in a while Jake, but I still know how to deal with a leech, _she shot back at him.

After the heartache of Sam's leaving her had eased and she'd learned to stop phasing, Leah was able to be friendlier to people and less bitter, but she was still headstrong. The bloodsucker knew she was there, but she could still surprise him. Suddenly, she noticed a slight scent that had been hidden under the stench of the vampire, and as Alexander shifted in the doorway, Leah could see a figure pinned to a chair.

_There's a human here,_ she reported to the others. _That changes things a little. I'll have to act sooner. _

Alexander roughly pulled Anna outside and down the steps, standing between the house and the forest, eyeing the trees with certainty. "I know you're here for the girl," he spoke softly, knowing whoever was hiding would be able to hear him. "I can snap her neck easily. Are you willing to bet that she'll be able to piece herself back together? She's only half vampire, remember. Now, I want all of you to come out where I can see you, slowly."

Anna watched, a shadow under the trees coming closer, and she could make out the figure of a wolf coming into more detail as it approached. It was smaller than most the wolves she knew, about the same size as Joanna, except a light gray in comparison to Joanna's darker color. This wasn't someone Anna was familiar with in wolf form.

"I said _all_ of you," Alexander hissed when only one wolf stepped forward. Anna could tell he was nervous that the wolf was still half-hidden by the brush and he couldn't fully see her. If Anna could get away from him herself, distract him for just a moment, that would give the wolf that opportunity it needed to make its move. However, she had been trying to get away from Alexander ever since Volterra, and nothing had worked. Thinking back the past ten minutes, it became clear to her what he wanted, and an idea presented itself to Anna.

She quickly twisted in his grasp and his grip tightened on her, but she wasn't aiming to get away. She leaned up and, as much as it repulsed her, kissed him.

Leah had been watching, and she admired the girls gut. Seth, on the other hand, was feeling a mixture of emotions that Leah could feel. He was furious at Alexander, especially after he had seen him try to force himself on Anna, but now he was confused at Anna voluntarily kissing him. What if she wanted to go with him? What about the phone call? Insecurities flashed through Seth's mind until he finally paid attention to the other thoughts around him.

_Seth, she's doing it as a distraction,_ Nick said, admiration in his thoughts as well, though not quite covering up his own anger and disgust.

In one swift movement, Anna wheeled herself out of Alexander's arms as soon as they loosened in his moment of surprise, and Leah didn't need another invitation. She took the advantage and leapt forward, pulling Alexander's attention from Anna to herself. He dodged her attack and moved to grab Leah, hoping to break some bones, but she turned lithely and snapped her jaws at his reaching arms that pulled away just in time.

They backed away, eyes locked in the heat of combat, watching the others moves. Leah knew she was the weaker one here, but one glance behind Alexander at Anna told her she wasn't alone in the fight. Besides, if she could stall, the others would arrive soon. Things would probably move too quickly for that, however.

Alexander, growing impatient, moved forward. Leah first feinted one way, but turned the other way instead, growling and snapping at him. Her jaws caught on to his wrist as he passed her and she yanked hard, crushing her teeth together, and his right arm broke off at the elbow. She tossed the arm away as she heard the leech's screech of pain and felt a bit smug. Vampires might be able to reattach themselves, but for now, he was at a slight disadvantage.

Anna rushed to the house to find Mark there, watching the battle with wide eyes and a disbelieving look on his face. He jumped at the sight of Anna coming closer and backed away slightly.

"What is going on?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Anna sighed before replying. "There's a lot more to this world than you think there is. We don't have time to explain right now, but that wolf is here to help us. I don't know exactly who it is, but they are sworn enemies with the vampire that just tried to kill you. Just know that he held me against my will and I will do everything in my power to make it so he doesn't hurt anyone ever again. Like I said...I'm not like him."

Anna went past Mark and starting rummaging around, looking for things she could use against Alexander. The only things she knew that vampires were vulnerable to are the wolves and fire. An idea dawned on her, and she looked outside to see how the gray wolf was doing.

Leah and Alexander had clashed a few more times, coming out of each with nothing more than a few scratches. They were testing each other, jumping away before serious hits could land. Anna had disappeared, and Leah prayed that she hadn't been abandoned, as well as did her best to ignore the voices in her head to pay attention to what was going on right in front of her.

Alexander looked to the side, something catching his interest, but quickly looked back at Leah. Too quickly for her to take advantage of it. And despite her, she stole a glance just a quick. It was the human, watching from the porch of the house. She hoped that the human didn't try to intervene, as she wasn't sure she would be able to guarantee his safety if he did. Maybe that's what Alexander was hoping for. Another hostage. But one quick glance turned into more, and she didn't see Alexander diving towards her until it was too late.

His fingers grabbed onto her paw and he pulled. "Let's trade an arm for an arm, shall we?" His voice dripped with venom.

Leah yelped as her bone snapped and pain shot up her foreleg. It felt as if a explosion had been set off inside her head, only half because of the pain. Her packmates felt her pain, and despite their best efforts, echoed it back to her. Alexander wouldn't let go of her, however, and he pulled again, breaking the bone closer to the shoulder as well, and she howled.

A sudden shout coming from the house entered Leah's ears, but Alexander held on still. There was _no way_ she was going to let this (insert choice word here)get away with this. But it was the calling of his name that caught the bloodsucker's attention.

"Hey Alexander!" Anna called from the steps, holding something in her hands. That thing started glowing. "_Catch!_"

She threw the glowing thing as hard as she could at Alexander and it flew straight at him. He instinctually caught so it wouldn't hit his face, and he immediately wished he hadn't, recognizing the glow now. He dropped the balled up rag as his hands quickly caught fire and started burning easily as only a vampires skin could. Before he could move to put it out, however, teeth clamped onto his leg and he was pinned. Leah had a hold of him, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let him go. She held on until the fire was coming dangerously close to her muzzle and she was sure he couldn't escape the flames.

Alexander's terrible last scream echoed through the night until the darkness grew as silent as the ashes that remained.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

The whole pack had seemed to be holding their breaths, and silence followed in the pack mind, which Leah was grateful for. Her arm hurt enough that she didn't need their voices in her head right now. Absent-mindedly, Leah felt Jake leave and learned from Seth that he had phased to tell Alice to call Carlisle and tell him what happened and that they needed his help for Leah's arm. She mentally scoffed at the thought of the leech tending to her wounds, but she knew it was necessary. She was starting to get dizzy.

She hadn't realized that she had collapsed, but now she was lying on the ground, and the motion had jarred her broken bones, sending stinging pain shooting through her. Looking around, she couldn't see Anna, but the human was slowly approaching her. Leah was relieved to see him for reasons that confused her, yet deep down, she knew why. That moment she had glimpsed him, she imprinted.

A part of her growled slightly. He was the reason she was caught off guard, the reason she hadn't seen Alexander spring at her until it was too late. Another part of her insisted that it wasn't his fault, that Alexander and herself weren't equals in battle and he would have gotten the better of her soon enough. She was just reckless, like that time she thought she could take on a newborn by herself, and Jake was the one that paid for her mistake.

Probably the imprint talking, Leah thought, slightly annoyed. But that didn't matter. He was approaching her, uncertainty on his features, but he could obviously feel the imprint bond as well, and wanted to make sure that the wolf that just saved his life was okay. And Leah was in pain. It was a wonder she hadn't phased already, and she couldn't hold on to her wolf form for much longer. And that meant that she would be naked in front of him, and Leah wasn't too excited by that prospect.

However, it couldn't be helped. Her vision started going dark, and she felt arms and something soft wrap around her. By the time Leah could open her eyes, she saw the man holding her, and Anna standing over her, covering her body with a blanket she must have taken from the house. She had a grimace on her face, but Leah couldn't wonder why at the moment. She just hoped that Anna knew she was grateful for the blanket she had brought.

Unable to do more to help, Anna turned from Leah and Mark and faced the forest, towards the direction of Forks. She didn't know for sure, but she was fairly certain that Seth and the others were on their way. She sat on the grass, careful with her movements, and waited for them. She didn't have to wait for very long, maybe about fifteen minutes that passed as both the shortest and longest time of her life. She heard the rustling of the leaves, the sounds of their paws hitting the forest floor, and their woodsy scent hit her nose. Followed by that was the sweet scent of a couple of the Cullens.

Two figures came out from the trees, which Anna recognized as Alice and Jasper, and four more figures followed. Anna didn't have any time to call out Seth's name before he was running and swept her into his arms, and he only stopped when she whimpered. It wasn't a sound of fear, but rather of pain. He pulled away and looked at her, worried. Her arms were covered in angry red marks, in patterns that Seth had never seen before. It took him a moment to realize they were burns, in a combination of her hard, vampire skin that was susceptible to flames, and her human part that could get harmed more easily.

After she had balled up the rag and poured the contents of a gasoline jug on it, set it afire with a lighter, and tossed it at Alexander, both her vampire side and the gas that had spilled on her hands set herself afire as well as Alexander. Anna had put the fire out herself, but not before the damage was done. There was no telling how well she would heal.

The next while was a confusing chaos for both Anna and Leah, as well as Mark, with the girls trying to fight of the agony of their wounds and being treated to by the others and waiting for Carlisle to arrive, while someone sat aside with Mark, telling him about the crazy world he had found himself in. Jasper helped everyone greatly by his calming powers, even though feeling their emotions discomforted him. Anna was alternating between being held by Seth and by Nick, and Seth went over and fervently apologized to his big sister about getting her to help, seeing himself as the reason for her getting hurt.

"Seth?" Leah said about five minutes after Seth walked over.

He stopped mid-sentence. "Yeah?"

"Shut up."


	26. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: For the LAST TIME (no, really) I do not own Twilight. All rights and that stuff goes to the person who actually wrote it. Her name is Stephanie Meyer, on the off-chance you didn't know. **

Over. It was all over. The Volturi, Alexander, all of it. There was only one thing left to do. Well, two things. Anna and Seth were standing by the curb on the corner of a street. It had been a few weeks since she and Leah were taken back to Forks to recover from their wounds, and she still had bandages wrapped around her arms and hands. Nick was going to catch up to them in a few minutes, and Seth wasn't going to come in with them. Not yet. But his presence calmed Anna more than Jasper could, and as excited and anxious as she felt, she was still nervous.

There was something she wanted to tell Seth, and she felt that it was important that he knew. She just didn't know how to tell him. After her fifth attempt at making the words come out of her mouth, she finally grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Wha-" he started to ask, but Anna bombarded him. She showed him what she felt, what was on her mind. How much she appreciated his being there for her since they met, and how long she wanted to tell him this. She finally showed him how much she cared for him.

When she was finished, Anna let go of Seth and looked up at him, feeling fearful for how he would react. He gazed down at her with his warm brown eyes and smiled, and Anna felt relieved. Then he surprised her by leaning down, his face turned toward hers. He didn't close the distance, waited for Anna to do so herself. He wasn't going to kiss her without her consent.

She hesitated, but only for a second, before tilting her own lips toward his. Kissing Seth was much different than kissing Alexander. Kissing Alexander felt the same as any of his other actions. Strong and fierce, like he was attacking her. Kissing Seth, however, felt...right.

They broke away, and Anna blushed, while Seth ducked his head. They turned away from each other awkwardly, yet neither regretting the action. They exchanged a small smile before Nick came running up. He was as anxious as Anna.

"You ready?" he asked, no sign of nervousness in his tone.

Anna nodded. She squeezed Seth's hand and felt him return the squeeze, then let go and walked up the the street with her brother. They stopped in front of a familiar house, and she grasped Nick's hand for comfort. They crossed the street and bounded across the lawn, ignoring the path they had been told so often to walk upon. Nick knocked on the door, much softer than he would normally, but the door opened much quicker than Anna expected.

A woman's face that had seen much grief over that past couple of months greeted them, her features crossing from shock to relief, ending with tears of joy falling from her eyes.

Anna smiled, tears streaking down her own cheeks. "Hi Mom."

**AN: Done! Finally! A writing project complete! Hope you guys liked the ending. I must be a terrible teenage girl for saying this, but I think kissing is gross, so I hope I didn't botch it. Even I must admit that it was a little sweet though. **

**Many thanks to everyone who has kept up with the story, liked it, followed it, reviewed it, and even just read it. I thought all the other fanfic writers were exaggerating when they said seeing how many views and reviews they got made their day, but I guess not as I felt the same thing :) Love you guys!**


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